


What We Could Have Been

by GauntletKnight



Series: What We Could Have Been [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: #DickhardOowada, Anxiety, Bike Accident, Chihiro uses he/him and identifies as male, Consensual Sex, Daiya is mentioned but he is still very much dead, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gang Violence, Ghosts?????, God bless wikihow, Homophobia, Hospitalization, I'm not sorry, Internalized Biphobia, Internalized Homophobia, Ishida - Freeform, Kirigiri is on the case, M/M, Non-Despair AU, Panic Attacks, Rating May Change, Slice of Life, Tags May Change, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wet Dream, believe in ishimaru who believes in you, bi Mondo, gay Ishimaru, ishimondo - Freeform, just a lil angst, references to sexual harrassment, slow-burn?, this is so tropey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 12:50:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 55
Words: 81,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15486138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GauntletKnight/pseuds/GauntletKnight
Summary: If they had survived the killing game, Kiyotaka and Mondo probably would have ended up living together and, eventually, would have fallen in love.  This is how that future might have played out.





	1. Graduation

It was often said that the graduates of Hope’s Peak High School would be immediately successful in their chosen fields upon their graduation.  However, success means different things.  For some it meant a high-paying job in their ultimate skill, for others, it secured their place in the elite of the world.

 

For Mondo Oowada, it meant being able to spend time with his bike and his gang rather than working until 3 in the morning busting his balls for finals.  What did those teachers expect anyway?  He got in the school for being the god damn leader of Japan’s bikers for fuck’s sake.

 

But it was worth it, he supposed as he received his cap and gown from one of Hope’s Peak’s many prestigious professors.  He’d be the first of his family to graduate from high school.    As he filed in with the rest of his class into the gymnasium to try on his gown and make sure it fit, he allowed himself a rare, soft smile.  He’d done it.  He’d fucking done it.

 

Not that he’d done it by himself, no.  One of the many lessons his brother had taught him was the importance of trust and reliance on others.  Mondo glanced around the gym at his class, mentally going over how each of the friends he’d gotten close too over the 4 years had helped him.

 

There was Sakura, his work-out buddy, who’d given him the best advice.  Always with a level head, she countered his rather hot-headed approach to issues.  He couldn’t help but feel that she would have liked his brother.  She was currently laughing excitedly with Aoi as the latter twirled in her gown.

 

Sayaka was fixing Makoto’s cap, as his hair made it sit lopsided on his head.  Both had been nothing but nice to him since the beginning.  They were both good friends, even if Makoto’s gung-ho attitude annoyed him sometimes.

 

Celeste, Leon, Kyoko, and Togami were contentedly chatting towards the bleachers.  They’d all be set after graduation.  Celeste had won enough money off of all of them to finally get her castle in Europe.  Leon actually had a band, thanks to some strings being pulled by Sayaka, and a tour set to start the day after graduation.  Kyoko was set to work inside the police force for Japan as a special forces detective, and Togami was already successful when he first stepped foot in Hope’s Peak.  Each of them had a competitive aura to them that would prove an asset for the future, and a quality that Mondo in particular appreciated.

 

Then, over by the stage –

 

“U-um…excuse me, I think I’m stuck,” came a small voice from his left. 

 

The second he looked over, Mondo couldn’t contain his laugh.  “Fujisaki, that you?  You’re looking a little ghostly there."  The smaller man chuckled in response, waving his arms as he tried to get his head free of the gown.  "Here, lemme help."

 

Chihiro was one of the classmates Mondo felt closest too.  Maybe it was a little weird that a rough-looking biker like him would befriend a small programmer, but it’s what happened.  During their first year, everyone had believed Chihiro to be a mild-mannered, timid girl, but in truth, Chihiro considered himself a boy.  He had come to Mondo in order to become “manlier” to fit society’s standards.

 

Mondo had agreed to train with Chihiro but told the programmer that being himself was more important, other jerks be damned.

 

So, from that the two became close friends, and Chihiro became more confident in his body.  He was still a small man, but puberty had hit him like a brick.  Now looking in the mirror, Chihiro could only see a self-assured man with a dream job at one of Japan’s biggest gaming industries.  The change in Chihiro’s self-esteem was almost enough to make Mondo cry.

 

Almost.

 

With a few tugs and a shift of position, Chihiro’s head popped free of the gown and he beamed up at Mondo.  “Thanks!”

 

The biker gave him his signature grin and ruffled Chihiro’s hair.  “No problem dude.”

 

Chihiro rolled his eyes and fixed his hair out into a much less-frazzled state before he was called over to the tech deck to make sure everything was running smoothly for the ceremony later that night.

 

Sure, Mondo felt close to the men in his gang but that didn’t mean he didn’t greatly value his friendships in school.  Graduating meant more time to his work but it also meant that his class of Hope’s Peak would eventually lose touch with each other.  Mondo knew this, despite the fact that he would miss all of the students in the small class.

 

There was one student, he had to admit, that he would miss above all the others.

 

“Hey Kyoudai!”

 

Speak of the devil.  Mondo turned and was almost bowled over by the 146 pounds of excited graduate that launched into him.  He coughed as all the air was blown out of his lungs and chuckled as Kiyotaka Ishimaru beamed up at him.

 

Taka had been Mondo’s closest friend during their time at Hope’s Peak.  It was a bit of an unexpected friendship as no one would bet the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader would be best bros with the Ultimate Moral Compass, but here they were. 

 

Admittedly, the relationship was a bit rocky to begin with.  Mondo’s total disregard for rules clashed heavily with Taka’s straight-laced attitude.  During freshman year, they had fought constantly.  Eventually, in part due to a sauna competition, they found that they were closer in personality than they originally realized.  Both heavily valued their family and their own morals, and both had similar ideas about what being a true man meant.  Once the fighting had stopped, their friendship practically happened overnight.  So quickly in fact, that their classmates had been a bit concerned.

 

“Congratulations kyoudai!  You did it!”  Taka’s face was nothing but pride.  He had seen just how hard Mondo had worked for this.  He’d tutored the biker on difficult lessons, and the two always gravitated towards each other when a group project had been assigned.  Things often got stressful for Mondo between keeping his grades up enough to graduate and running all the logistics and problem-solving for the Crazy Diamonds, but when they did, he and Taka just took an afternoon to relax in the school’s sauna or bath. 

 

If one thing was for sure, his bro took good care of him, almost like his actual bro had. 

 

“Think back on all the times you told me you couldn’t do it, that it was too hard for you, that men don’t need to know the difference between means and medians.  Yet, look at you now!”  Taka was puffing himself up, almost like a bird preening for mating season.  “Of course, my fail-proof study policies had something to do with it, but nothing can be accomplished without effort!  And you certainly put in the effort and now you’re fit to go out into the world and make your mark!”

 

Mondo found himself flushing over the excessive praise. “You’re graduating too ya nerd,” Mondo patted the younger man’s shoulder and smiled.  The smile devolved into a chuckle upon noticing something.

 

“Wh-what’s so funny,” Taka asked, confused.  “Is it my gown?  Does it need tailoring?”

 

“N-no,” Mondo managed to get out between chuckles.  “I just, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything other than the school uniform.”

 

Taka seemed more perplexed at this.  “But why would I wear anything else, I’m a student?”

 

Mondo decided to drop the subject.  Despite being the class valedictorian, much to the chagrin of Byakuya, a lot of things went over Taka’s head.  It wasn’t that he was oblivious per se, but that he sometimes took things too literally.  Like one time when Taka had been told that he was “flaming”, he responded that none of his clothes were even remotely flammable before giving the asshole a lesson on fire safety.  Yeah, Taka also thought the best of everyone.  It worried Mondo sometimes.

 

“Oh hey,” Mondo found a convenient subject change, “Speaking of being a student, when do you leave for university?”  None of the graduates from Hope’s Peak High School ever really needed to go to university but sometimes there was the odd duck that wanted to continue their education instead of immediately being successful in the workforce.  Taka was one such graduate.  He’d already been accepted into an intense college program specifically for gifted students.  Mondo could still feel the ringing in his ears from when Taka slammed open his dorm door and told (shouted) the news to him.

 

The younger smiled, “it’s funny you ask.  I’m actually heading there tomorrow!” 

 

Mondo choked on his own breath.  “Tomorrow?”  _So soon? Without telling me?_

 

“Yes,” Taka confirmed, nodding.  “I don’t want to waste my summer away when I could be getting even closer to my future!”

 

“Oh,” was all Mondo could get out around his now decidedly-less enthusiastic smile.  He had been hoping that he and Taka could spend the summer break together.  That he could take him riding on the back of his bike.  He could have showed him all the best spots in the country-side.  Maybe they could have gone on vacation to a hot spring.  He had already made so many plans to spend the final summer of freedom with his best bro, but in the end, he supposed he shouldn’t have thought any differently. 

 

Taka did take breaks but they were short and far between.  He was ultimately a man married to his studies.  That didn’t change just because they were graduating.

 

“Well, be sure to write to me bro,” Mondo hid his disappointment.  “If anyone messes with my Taka, they’re gonna have the Crazy Diamonds breathing down their necks.”  He punctuated that threat by cracking his knuckles.

 

Taka smiled and raised an eyebrow.  “Oowada-kun,” he warned.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” said biker rolled his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “Fine, we’ll only rough ‘em up a little.”

 

“I’d rather you wouldn’t ‘rough them up’ at all, but,” Taka sighed, “If you must.”

 

“Fuck yeah,” Mondo put his friend in a head lock and affectionately gave the already-tousled black hair a noogie.

 

“Mr. Ishimaru,” Mr. Kirigiri called from the stage, interrupting their bonding.  “If you’d come here for a minute, we need to go over your speech.”

 

Mondo chuckled as he let go of the smaller.  “I swear to Christ if you put any embarrassing stories about me in there…”

 

Taka seemed genuinely offended.  “I would never do that to you Kyoudai.”

 

“Heh, yeah I know.  Now get over there; Kirigiri looks stressed.”

 

With one last grin, Taka was striding confidently over to the school principal.  As he left Mondo felt his smile drop.  College was definitely the next logical step for his friend and his goals to go into government, but Mondo couldn’t help feeling a little possessive.  What if Taka got so successful, he forgot about Mondo altogether?  What if, years from now they met on opposite sides of the law, and Taka no longer gave him that wonderful smile he just had?  What if, instead, the other’s face twisted into disgust over the idea of ever knowing him?

 

As his kyoudai glanced back over to him and smiled, Mondo’s worries about the future all but vanished.

 

What could go wrong?


	2. Three Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be sleeping. But instead I'm writing.   
> Ah, that's the life.

Mondo was never a man of much wealth, and truth be told, he didn’t mind that at all.  As long as he had his bike and a place to lay his head he was fine.  However, after the third straight month of bills that fully cleaned out his wallet, he realized he couldn’t just continue fixing bikes in the garage and leading the Diamonds on missions against rival gangs. 

 

He would have to do one of two things, each undesirable in their own right.  He could get a boring desk job that paid more but ultimately made him want to put a bullet between his eyes, or, with his two-bedroom apartment, he could get a roommate that hopefully wouldn’t be a complete fuckwad.

 

Never one to half-ass something once he made up his mind, Mondo decided to do both at once.  He went out job-searching the day he put an add in the paper for a roommate.

 

After talking to 8 different managers in 6 different locations for 10 different jobs, with none setting up a return interview, Mondo decided that the job-searching was a bust.   One gas station attendant actually threatened to call the cops on him.

 

Sighing deeply, Mondo slumped down into his couch and massaged the bridge of his nose.  During the day, he had been constantly checking his phone to see if anyone called or e-mailed him about the available room.  Granted, today was the first day the ad would be running, but he was hoping for more than nothing.  Yet, nothing is what he had.  No job, no roommate, and no energy left to care.

 

He was about to get up and make a dinner of cup noodle when there was a knock at his apartment door.  Probably the landlord here to bleed him dry like he did every month.  Mondo groaned loudly and pressed his head further into the back of the couch before mustering all of his energy and making his way to the door, where the landlord was knocking again, more persistently.  “Alright, alright, I’m comin’ already!”

 

He opened the door, glare set and ready to have it out with the landlord, when a voice he hadn’t heard in years spoke.

 

“Ah!  Hello, my name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru and I heard about the ad. I – “  Taka’s posture lessened out of its previously-taught state as recognition flared in his crimson eyes.  “K-kyoudai?”

 

An awkward silence found it’s way between them and stretched on for what seemed to be forever.  By all rights, Mondo should have been over the moon to see his friend.  He should have swept him up in a hug and invited him inside.  But none of those things happened, and they both knew why.

 

Taka had been texting him almost daily for his first year of university, about everything and anything.  He told Mondo about his classes, a particularly good workout, and even sent dog pictures he thought Mondo would appreciate.  If it were anyone else, Mondo would have thought them annoying, but with Taka, he looked forward to getting a text.  Taka always woke him up with a ‘good morning’ and an encouraging message to start his day.  It comforted the biker in a way.  It was nice having a person other than a bruised and bloody biker to talk to even if Taka was the one who did all the talking.

 

And then one day, in Taka’s second year, the messages just stopped.  Mondo knew that it would have occurred sooner or later, that his kyoudai would eventually move on from their high school friendship, but he had been foolish enough to hope that it wouldn’t happen to them.  Mondo had tried to initiate conversations but after about a month with no reply, he had given up.

 

Now, as though giving them a second chance, fate had dropped his best friend on his doorstep, and he _was just standing there_.  It was at that point Mondo realized just how much of an idiot he was being.

 

Taka looked worried, as his eyes shifted off to the side.  “Ah, I’m sorry.  I can just go.”

 

“No,” Mondo cut off the younger.  “Get in here.”  When the other didn’t move a muscle, Mondo added a quiet, “Please.”  Ishimaru walked stiffly into the apartment and Mondo shut the door behind him with a soft click.  “So…uh, I was just going to eat,” Mondo waved a hand towards the cup noodle lying abandoned on the counter.  “Do you want anything?”  Silence met his offer.  “Well,” Mondo put the kettle back on the stove, “I’m gonna-“

 

“ _I’m so sorry Oowada-kun!_ ”  Mondo jumped at the sudden outburst from the other man, nearly dropping the hot water.  When he looked back, Taka was right behind him, shoulders tense and tears streaming down his face.  “I told you I was going to keep in contact with you.  I _promised_.  But I didn’t and I soiled our friendship!  I don’t have the right to call you kyoudai anymore,” he wailed.

 

Mondo was a bit taken aback but fell back into the rhythm he had learned in high school.  Kiyotaka had always been a bit of an emotional man and, as such, was prone to such outbursts.  Mondo was usually the fastest and most efficient of all their friends to calm the other down.  “Hey.  Hey Taka, look at me.” 

 

The black-haired man did, and Mondo was a bit surprised with how different his bro looked.  Taka’s face had always been angular, but the past three years had made his face thinner and his cheekbones looked like they could cut glass.  His eyes were still their distinctive red but there were heavy bags under them like Mondo remembered from when the younger would push himself too hard.  He’d grown his hair out a little which made him look older, more like a harried businessman.  He was wearing casual clothes, or as casual as the other ever allowed himself to be, with a pair of khakis and a light blue polo shirt.  Mondo found he liked the color on him.

 

“It’s ok,” Mondo wiped the tears from Taka’s cheeks with a napkin.  “I get it.  You were busy with college.”  Once the younger’s face was clean, Mondo turned back to the task at hand, slowly pouring the water into the paper cup.  “I ‘aint going to stop caring about you just because I haven’t heard from you.”  He taped the lid of the cup noodle closed and turned to see Taka looking up at him in awe.  Mondo grinned widely and gave him a thumbs-up.  “After all!  We’re still bros, right? Our manly bond lasts beyond words!”

 

Now Ishimaru was crying for another, completely different reason.  More fat tears made their way down his face, but he was smiling.  Mondo sighed and gave his bro the now-done cup noodle, for which Taka thanked him for.  Mondo made another for himself and the two retreated to the couch.

 

They ate in silence for a few moments as Taka continued to collect himself, sniffling every so often.  Mondo finished first and he set the empty cup noodle on the coffee table in front of his couch.  “So,” Taka’s crimson eyes snapped to his face, “judging from yer surprise when you first saw me, I doubt yer here just to say hi.”

 

“Oh,” Taka looked like he remembered something.  He set down his cup next to Mondo’s empty one and fully faced his friend, kneeling on the cushions.  “Yes, I was actually here to inquire about the room available.”

 

Mondo blinked, shocked for a moment.  “Yer fuckin kiddin me.”

 

Ishimaru looked confused.  “Um, no?”

 

Suddenly, the implications of the situation hit Mondo and a grin spread across his face.  “Holy shit, the room’s yours!”

 

Now it was Taka’s turn to be shocked.  “W-wait kyoudai!  We haven’t discussed rent or schedules, not to mention chores and proper hygiene tactics.  It’s irresponsible to rent out your house to a total stranger!”

 

“Bro,” Mondo gave him a deadpan look.  “First of all, yer not even close to being a stranger.  Second, you probably have better hygiene than me, and I know yer hard-ass will come up with about fifty different schedules.  Hell, we basically lived together for two years already.  As long as you can help me out with bills, you can stay for as long as you fucking like.”

 

“Vulgarity aside,” Taka grinned, “I’d love to take the room.  I was prepared to settle on staying with a roommate who didn’t meet my standards.  However, as you put it, we already have lived together so it’s not a problem.”

 

“Fuck yeah,” Mondo pumped his fist.  “Hey, come on kyoudai,” Mondo stood and held out his hand for Taka to take.  The other accepted the offer, and Mondo pulled him off of the couch.  “Lemme give ya the grand tour.”

 

They started in the living room, where Taka’s cup noodles were getting progressively colder.  It was lightly decorated with a couch, coffee table and TV mounted to the wall.  Sparse, but lived-in.  From there, Mondo introduced him to the kitchen.  Taka happened to be an excellent cook and Mondo was so excited to have his kyoudai’s cooking back in his life.

 

They also toured the bathroom with a bath-shower combo, Mondo’s mess of a room, and the last stop, the room that would be Ishimaru’s.  Mondo paused as they got there.  Sure, he had cleaned it out, he’d done that a while ago, but.

 

There were still too many memories.

 

Mondo squared his shoulders and gently pushed the door to his older brother’s previous room open.  Taka walked in before him and slowly walked around the room, smiling brightly back at Mondo when he noticed the biker watching him.

 

Mondo sighed at the sight, and something inside of him seemed to heal.  Yeah, his brother was gone, but Taka was his brother too.  It was fitting that the two most important people in his life would both, at one time, live in this room.


	3. Promises and Secrets

Taka moved in the next day.  Mondo found himself surprised at the lack of stuff his kyoudai brought into the apartment.  The biker had taken the day off from the garage to help the other man move, so he was a little confused when Taka strolled in with two suitcases and a backpack.

 

“Wait, what,” Taka glanced at him.  “I know you like to be clean and minimalistic bro, but is that _it?_ ”

 

“Ah,” Ishimaru looked troubled.  “Yes, this is all.  But don’t worry,” His friend brightened.  “This is plenty!”

 

Mondo, not wanting to be a selfish prick, insisted on helping the black-haired man unpack the few bags he had.  He was unsurprised that despite the unassuming suitcases, Taka managed to be an efficient packer.  By the time they finished, Mondo had counted five pairs of dress pants, eight dress shirts of different colors, two belts, dress socks, normal socks, a pair of dress shoes, an extra pair of Taka’s normal boots, eighteen pairs of underwear, and, shockingly, a t-shirt and pair of jeans.

 

“Never hurts to be prepared,” Taka answered when he had asked about the uncharacteristic clothing.

 

On top of all the clothes, they younger had also managed to fit in bed sheets, a kendo sword, and a rather impressive volume of books.

 

Once they’d settled Taka into his new room, the duo decided to lounge on the bed and catch up about the last two years.  Mondo told his friend about the Diamonds.  Apparently, some of the members of his gang had took Taka’s departure harder than Mondo had himself. 

 

Mondo had been a little hesitant in high school to introduce his kyoudai to the gang.  Sure, Taka was pretty fucking strong and was fully capable of taking care of himself but being surrounded by 75 or more motorcycle gang members was vastly different than getting someone detention for swearing in class.  He had warned the guys about pulling any shit with Taka and that he’d gladly introduce any of their faces to the pavement if anything happened.  As it turned out though, he hadn’t had to worry at all.  All of the guys loved him. 

 

Ishimaru had a talent of pulling the best out of anyone by believing in them more than they did themselves.  He was also very stubborn when he wanted to be.  It’s how he and Mondo had become soul brothers, and how Taka had made many friends in the Crazy Diamonds.  There was a joke among the ones closer to him that he was the Crazy Diamond’s resident den mother.

 

“Michi was particularly sad you didn’t stay,” Mondo recalled to the other.  “Complained that you made his job easier,” the biker laughed, “Though I dunno why.  I’m perfectly coolheaded!”

 

Ishimaru perked up at the mention of the boy.  “How is Takemichi?  Did he…”

 

Mondo picked up on what his friend was asking.  “Yeah, he did.  Brave fucker.  Got kicked out of the house for it but he’s staying with Roka and they’re happy.  The gang supports them which means I don’t have to bust any heads,” Mondo smiled ruefully, “So that’s nice.”

 

Taka softly smiled.  Takemichi deserved to be with the man he loved.  Though the younger boy had felt close to Mondo, he had often sought out Ishimaru to talk about things not relating to the gang.  The two had gotten close over the years; enough that Ishimaru felt happy tears coming to his eyes at everything working out ok for the younger boy.

 

Mondo noticed the upcoming breakdown, as ‘Mama Ishimaru’ tended to do when he was proud of someone, so he quickly changed the topic.  “So, _Mr. Degree_ ,” he started, teasingly, “How was university?”

 

Ishimaru had never been a particularly good liar.  On the one occasion that he had played with Celeste, he had been absolutely destroyed.  So, Mondo knew something was up when Ishimaru’s spine shot straight up and his normally-porcelain skin paled two shades lighter.

 

“It was…fine,” his voice shook dangerously.

 

Mondo studied his friend’s expression carefully.  Taka wasn’t crying, but something in his eyes had an almost _haunted_ feeling.  “Kyoudai?”  Ishimaru didn’t respond, but instead, looked down at his boots.  His demeanor was a far cry from the day the two of them graduated.  Ishimaru was so happy and excited for university, for his future, but now the look in his eyes was the look of someone staring down the long road of life and dreading what was coming. 

 

Mondo prodded further, trying to get anything out of his friend to justify the change.  “Did something happen?  Do I need to get the gang in on this?”

 

“No!”  Taka’s voice was loud, even more than usual.  “No, violence won’t be necessary.  I…”  Ishimaru slumped down, tears bubbling to the surface.  “I left.  I…I don’t have a degree.”

 

Mondo stood quickly.  Now he _knew_ something was wrong.  Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass would _never_ leave something unfinished voluntarily.  Something had happened.  “What the _fuck_ Kiyotaka,” he shouted.  Ishimaru winced at the swear.  “What the fuck happened?!”

 

Taka looked up, seemingly internally debating something as he looked Mondo in the eyes.  Mondo met his gaze, waiting for an answer. 

 

“I can’t.”

 

“What do you even fucking mean you _can’t?!_ ”  Mondo would be lying if he wasn’t a bit hurt.  Taka, his kyoudai, the most important person in his life wasn’t telling him something.  Something that was obviously a big enough deal to Taka that he had to _drop out of school_.

 

“Mondo…”  That made the biker stop.  It was so rare that Taka actually used his first name.  The younger looked on the verge of a breakdown.  “I can’t.  I’m so sorry, please don’t be angry, but I can’t…”

 

Mondo let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Taka…”

 

“I need you to promise me,” Taka’s voice hardened.  He knew how seriously Mondo took the promises he made.  “I’ll tell you when I’m ready…but…” Ishimaru looked away.  “Not before then, please.”

 

Mondo wanted to shake the younger; to tell him that whatever happened he was still a great man and would be successful.  He desperately wanted to find whatever had destroyed Ishimaru’s view of the future and curb-stomp it into next Tuesday.  Yet, he saw the pleading look in his kyoudai’s scarlet eyes.  “Fine.”

 

The stubbornness in Ishimaru’s face softened and he looked relieved somewhat.  “Thank you Kyoudai.”  Mondo grunted out an acknowledgement and flopped back down onto the bed next to Taka, avoiding messing up his pomp.

 

“So,” the biker rolled over so he was laying on his side.  He propped his chin on his hand.  “Knowing you, you have a bunch of errands to run seeing as my apartment isn’t exactly up to the great Ishimaru standards.”

 

“Well, for starters I can’t believe you don’t own a vacuum,” Taka looked genuinely troubled.  “Not to mention the lack of an ironing board.” 

 

Mondo chuckled.  “Never needed one!  Don’t exactly need to press a wifebeater y’know?”

 

“Well, be that as it may,” Taka coughed.  “Despite my lack of degree, I actually have a job I need to look my best for.”

 

“You sayin’ I don’t look my best,” Mondo pretended to be offended.  “I’ll have you know I actually wore socks today just for you.”  He lifted up his foot and wiggled his toes to prove the fact.

 

Ishimaru rolled his eyes.  “You know precisely what I mean Kyoudai.”

 

Mondo chuckled.  “Yeah, I suppose it would also be nice to have some actual food for once too.”

 

Ishimaru stood gracefully and clapped his hands together.  “Then it’s settled.  Let’s be off then.”

 

He swiftly exited the room, boots thudding against the wood floor.  Mondo watched him go, still troubled about their earlier conversation.  Ishimaru knew he could talk to him, right?  Or was what happened really that serious?  Either way, he’d made a promise and he was going to stick to it.  He wouldn’t lose another brother to selfishness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's mentioned canonically that Takemichi doesn't care for women. He could be ace, but for the sake of this story, I made him gay.
> 
> Also uh, come bother me on tumblr @GauntletKnight.


	4. Wheels and Cereals

“No. Absolutely not.”

 

“Aw c’mon Taka.”

 

“No, I refuse to get on that death trap.”

 

“But I even gotcha a helmet!”

 

Kiyotaka eyed the offered motorcycle helmet with hesitation. “’Sides, I don’t have a car and the store is a good 50 blocks away.” Mondo grinned at him. Ever since he and Taka had become friends, he’d been dying to get the smaller man on the back of his bike. There was something so wonderful and freeing about cruising with the wind in your hair and not a care in your heart.

 

However, even back in high school, Taka had been rather averse to the idea of riding on a motorcycle. He knew the gang and had seen some of the injuries some of them had gotten over the years. Not to mention his dad was a detective and would have a heart attack if he knew his son had accepted a ride from the head of the largest biker gang in Japan, on said bike. Back in high school, when they’d wanted to see each other or friends, they just used the school-issued subway cards and take the trains. But now that they’d graduated…

 

“C’mon,” Mondo whined. “The train’ll take money we could spend on that special tea mix you like so much.”

 

At that, the red-eyed man looked even more conflicted. He valued his life, but he also highly valued thriftiness. Slowly, he glanced over the helmet Mondo had handed him. It was a good one, full-head coverage with a visor. Mondo grinned as he saw the shorter looking over it. “Bought it back in high school,” he stated. “Hoped to get you on the back of my bike someday but knew your hardass wouldn’t without it.”

 

Ishimaru’s eyes widened. Mondo had bought the helmet that long ago? One look over the taller’s face and Ishimaru had to hold in a laugh. The other looked genuinely excited, like a puppy about to be thrown a stick. Taka would have told anyone else with that look that begging was unbecoming, but on Mondo…he couldn’t say no.

 

“Fine,” Ishimaru sighed.

 

“FUCK YEAH!” Mondo shouted and practically skipped over to his bike.

 

“But I’m wearing the helmet and you have to obey all the traffic laws, including the speed limit.”

 

“Yeah, yeah ok, now c’mere!” Mondo patted the cushioned seating behind him.

 

Taka hesitated for a second before gently throwing his leg over the bike and easing down onto the seat behind his bro. It was actually a rather comfortable seat, to be expected of someone who spent so much time and effort on it.

 

“A-alright, you can go now.” Ishimaru slid the visor shut and braced himself. When a few moments passed by and they didn’t move, he slowly squinted his eyes open. Mondo appeared to be saying something if the muffled shouting was anything to go by. Taka slid open the visor. “Yes, Kyoudai?”

 

Mondo chuckled, cheeks tinting a bit at the sight of Ishimaru sitting on the back of his bike looking like he was about to be launched on a roller coaster. “You uh,” the biker scratched the back of his head. “You gotta hold onto me. Makes it safer.”

 

“Oh…of course.” Carefully, with all the ease of someone trying to corner a scared animal, Ishimaru slid his arms around the biker, perhaps a little too tightly. Mondo grinned, and put up the kickstand before revving the motorcycle and peeling out of the apartment parking lot, Taka screeching the entire way.

 

As the ride progressed, Ishimaru realized that they weren’t, in fact, hurtling towards their mutual deaths. Much to his surprise, Mondo actually kept to the speed limits and only cussed out one driver, whom the moral compass had to agree was in the wrong. It was dangerous to cut someone on a motorcycle off after all.

 

Ishimaru eased up on his death grip on his kyoudai’s waist and actually began to enjoy himself. Mondo was right. There was an almost rush about being on a motorcycle that a car or bicycle couldn’t supply. Not to mention, the warmth coming off of the body in front of him was comforting and kept the chill of the wind at bay.

 

Taka was never one for physical affection, having chalked any and all of it up to PDA, which was, of course, not permitted in a school environment. However, Mondo had always been the exception to the rule. It just felt natural for the two to touch each other; to be in each other’s presence. During their stay at Hope’s Peak Academy, the two were often inseparable to the point that they’d have sleepovers in each other’s rooms. His own family was a bit thin on physical affection, so Ishimaru felt justified in making up for it now.

 

He rested his head on Mondo’s back, between the other’s shoulder blades, feeling the steady breathing of his kyoudai. Soon, he had forgotten all about being on the back of a metal death trap and let Mondo’s presence soothe him into a state of calm.

 

He had missed this.

 

He almost didn’t notice when the bike pulled into the parking lot of a department store grocery combo and Mondo switched off the engine.

 

“Uh, Kyoudai?” No response. “Ishimaru.” Still nothing. “Bro.”

 

“Huh,” Ishimaru startled out of his thoughts, “Oh, oh sorry.” The smaller reluctantly retracted his arms from the biker.

 

“See,” Mondo swung his leg over the bike and Taka followed suit, both starting to walk to the store. “I told you it’d be fine.” Ishimaru chuckled and Mondo’s cheeks reddened just the tiniest amounts. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say the Kiyotaka Ishimaru even enjoyed himself.”

 

Taka spluttered for a second. “Absolutely not, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Mondo grinned knowingly at the obvious lie.

 

“C’mon Kyoudai. Let’s go get you that iron. Can’t have my best bro lookin all crumpled at work, now can I?”

 

Despite both of them being relatively low on funds, with Ishimaru only having had his job for a week and Mondo only having just enough after that month’s rent, the two managed to pick up a vacuum, iron, ironing board, hangers (Mondo tended to just throw his clothes on the floor, clean or dirty), and a decent amount of food. The trip went smoothly with Mondo just letting Kiyotaka do his own thing. The shorter man was almost scarily good at finding the cheapest price without sacrificing quality.

 

At least the trip went smoothly until they hit the cereal aisle.

 

“Aw hell yeah, these were my favorite growin’ up.” Mondo would recognize the purple box anywhere. Commander Crunchies. They tasted great, they made the milk purple, and best of all, they were on sale. He picked up a box and turned to show Taka, only to find that the black-haired man was not behind him.

 

Ishimaru was further down the aisle in what would be referred to as the old-people cereal section looking critically at a box of bran flakes. Upon putting the Crunchies into the shopping cart, Ishimaru looked up to see what had been added to the steadily growing pile of groceries.

 

“Kyoudai,” he started, ruby eyes squinting, “you aren’t seriously considering buying that sugary, artificially-colored heart attack, are you?

 

With a sense of finality, Mondo dumped the box unceremoniously into the cart. “I sure am.”

 

Ishimaru sighed deeply. “Oowada-kun you know that the amount of sugar in that cereal isn’t healthy first thing in the morning if at all.”

 

Mondo rolled his eyes. Of course Ishimaru’s requirement for cereal was that it was nutritious, taste be damned. Said man picked up a rather bland box and placed it into the shopping cart next to the loud purple box Mondo had contributed. “Beats your fucking grandpa cereal anyway.”

 

“Language,” Taka replied, almost automatically. “And I’ll have you know that this is the cereal I was raised eating.”

 

It made a lot of sense. Taka wasn’t usually one for sugary stuff anyway, regardless of its nutrition. Mondo had figured it out early on in their friendship when he’d offered the other a bite of cotton candy at the Hope’s Peak spring festival, but the other had denied. The refusal had caught Mondo off-guard. Everyone liked cotton candy. Well, everyone except Ishimaru that was.

 

The two finished and purchased what they had collected. Surprisingly, Mondo was able to fit all of it into the saddle bags, except the ironing board which he strapped to the backboard of the bike with some string.

 

If Mondo didn’t know better, he would say Taka seemed a lot more relaxed on the ride back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My only thought writing this was "Gaaaaaay".  
> But don't worry, we enter angst territory next chapter.


	5. Rough Diamond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the week hiatus. I was on vacation with my family.  
> To make up for it, here's an earlier-than-expected update.
> 
> Specific trigger warnings for this chapter are homophobia / homophobic language. Also angst. Stay safe my peeps.

As it turned out, the two soul brothers disagreed on a multitude of subjects, from Ishimaru’s early-morning exercises, complete with all the shouting they entailed, to Mondo coming home covered in grease stains or not taking his shoes off.  Their involuntary habits were starting to grate on the feelings of the other.

 

It was only a matter of time that one of them lost it.

 

“And where are you going?”  Ishimaru asked the biker as the latter grabbed the keys to the bike from the dish on the kitchen counter.

 

Mondo sighed irritably.  Taka’s anxiety about every little thing was tap-dancing on his last nerve.  The last time he had ridden his hog had been the short trip to the supermarket a few days prior and he was starting to get antsy.  If he didn’t get out soon, he was sure he’d explode.   “Out,” came his clipped reply.

 

“Are you bringing the helmet?”

 

Mondo eyed the shorter man.  Ishimaru had that look on his face where he wasn’t about to back down.  He always had that look when it came to his beliefs.  Unfortunately for him, the only man more stubborn was one Mondo Oowada.

 

“No, I told you helmets are for fucking pussies,” Taka grimaced.  “’Sides it messes the hair.”  To emphasize his point, he gently patted the pomp he was so proud of.

 

“Ohhh yes,” Ishimaru’s voice had taken on a sarcastic tone, one that startled Mondo a little.  He hadn’t thought the other was capable of sounding that way.  “I am _very_ aware of all the work that goes into _that_.”  Taka glared at the other’s hair as if it had offended him.  “You leave your hair products everywhere!  I don’t know how you can even find anything in that jumble!”

 

Oh, so _that’s_ how it’s going to be.

 

“Well, at least I don’t feel the need to fuckin’ get up at the ass-crack of dawn to practice kendo or wash the dishes _after_ they’ve been through the _dishwasher_.”

 

“But you know that the dishwasher doesn’t get everything!”

 

“ _It ‘aint the only thing that doesn’t!_ ”

 

Ishimaru blinked, stunned, and somewhere in the recesses of his mind Mondo knew that he had crossed a line, but he was too wound up now to process it.  “I’ll be back.  Late.”

 

* * *

 

           

The guys laughed as Mondo recounted the events of the past days to them.  The gang members who remembered Taka laughed the hardest.  Occasionally they added remarks like, “Yep that’s ‘im,” or “Mama Ishi strikes again.”

 

The Crazy Diamonds were hanging out in one of the warehouses down by the bay.  The waterfront itself was a bit on the fringes of their, decidedly large, territory, but there had been rumors that a rival gang was setting up to take possession of the abandoned storage.  Whether or not that was true, Mondo had to admit the sea breeze was nice.

 

“You two fucking sound like an old married couple,” Takamichi remarked with a grin from his own bike. 

 

“Hey, who the fuck asked ya,” Mondo called back at his right-hand.  Michi only rolled his eyes and shook his head.  Over the years, the boy had grown a lot.  His face had thinned and he actually looked at home on his bike rather than the clumsy 14-year-old Mondo had first met.  In a way, it made the gang leader feel old.  He’d seen the kid grow up, been his mentor and support when no one else was.  He hoped he made a least a fraction of the impression on Michi that Daiya had for him.

 

He was getting to the age, and Mondo certainly wasn’t getting any younger.  Maybe it was time.

 

“Hey Boss, got headlights on the pier,” called their watch, Hironaka.

 

“They the Crows?”

 

“Yeah, looks like.”

 

“Alright,” Mondo swung his leg over his bike, the black coat signifying his status flaring out behind him.  “Let’s fuckin’ party.”

 

With the roar of over 75 bikes backing him, Mondo revved the motorcycle and sped off through the doors of the warehouse.  He didn’t notice that it was a beautiful night or that the moon reflected off of the pier, making the water shimmer like his gang’s namesake.  No, Mondo had his eyes set on one man. 

 

It was almost required that he, as the head of the largest biker gang, know the names and faces of every other gang leader.  Largely it was so he knew which bastard to punch in the face first, but it was also to build connections.  Karasu Kuro was 17; a confident asshole with slick black hair and beady eyes.  He was the leader of The Crows, a relatively new gang, but one eager to prove their worth.  Eager or no, it was fucking stupid to challenge the Crazy Diamonds.  Mondo would have to make sure they knew it.

 

The noise of the engines died down as the two gangs met on the wooden planks of the pier, leaving a good 20 feet between themselves.  Silence fell on the men.  Neither leader had yet to dismount their bikes, each not willing to show submissiveness.

 

“Kuro,” Mondo shouted, feeling the rumble of his voice from deep inside his chest.  “I’ll admit ya got balls coming all the way out here.”  In a classic pose for the man, he brought his knuckles up and cracked them loudly.  “Now how’s about you turn around and go back to wherever you crawled up out of before I put ‘em up so far back up inside you you’ll be coughing up jizz for a week.”

 

His gang behind him laughed and yelled, revving their engines.  Kuro’s eyes narrowed.  After what seemed like enough time, Mondo held up a hand and the Diamonds silenced almost immediately.

 

Kuro smirked, and Mondo decided immediately that he didn’t like that at all.  It was the kind of smirk that deserved to be punched off.  Not slapped.  Not smacked.  Straight sucker-punched.  His gut proved right.  “Strong words for someone with a homo as a flag-bearer.  I mean, do you even know where that pole has been?”

 

Now, Mondo Oowada could not be considered, by any means, a calm man.  He had a temper as hot as the hottest springs in Japan, but in that moment, it was more like the re-awakening of Mt. Fuji.  He could feel his blood pressure rise until it was thumping loudly in his ears, drowning out the sounds of The Crows’ jeers.  _No one_ , especially this _greasy-ass fucker_ talked about Michi like that.  Not after everything he’d been through.  Not after finally getting to be happy.

 

Before he even knew it himself, Mondo had dismounted his bike, stalked the 20 feet gap between the two gangs, and wiped that smarmy smile off of Kuro’s face with a nice punch to the nose.  The satisfying _crunch, thump_ as Kuro had his nose broken and fell of his bike was not nearly enough; not for Mondo, and certainly not for the near 75 bikers who had all dismounted behind him.

 

He was going to be home a lot later than he thought.

 

* * *

 

 

It was 1 AM when Mondo finally softly pushed open the door to his apartment, nursing a split lip, black eye, and bruised rib among several other smaller injuries.  What he wasn’t expecting however, was for Ishimaru to still be up, sitting in the living room and…waiting for him?

 

One look at him and Taka burst into tears.  “Kyoudai,” Mondo sighed.  He was too tired to try to calm down Taka right now.  “Kyoudai I’m fine.  Shoulda’ seen the other guy.  Pretty sure they had to scrape him off of the pavement after we were done with ‘im.”

 

Ishimaru merely bit his lip, shook his head, and grabbed Mondo’s wrist, gently pulling the other to their bathroom.  Wordlessly, the smaller man set the toilet lid down and motioned for Mondo to sit on it. 

 

The biker did as he was instructed to do, prepared for a lengthy lecture from the other about how violence never solved anything.  Instead, Taka remained silent, only letting out the occasional soft sniffle.  He swiftly left Mondo sitting there, and the taller listened to the soft _tap tap tap_ of Ishimaru’s slippers on the hardwood floors.

 

Mondo would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried.  He’d never seen the younger _this_ shaken.  He was an emotional man sure, but…this felt different.

 

Taka returned a moment later with a soft ice pack from the freezer wrapped in a towel, which he handed to Mondo who got that he was supposed to put it on his eye.  From there, Ishimaru turned to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and cotton balls.  The minute the soaked cotton ball touched his still-bleeding lip, Mondo hissed in pain.  Ishimaru jumped at the noise and let out a quiet breath before applying the antiseptic more-gently.  His eyes were glassy, like he was far away from that bathroom with Mondo.  He was somewhere inside his head.

 

Mondo couldn’t take it anymore and softly, but firmly, grabbed Taka’s wrist.  The other startled again and looked up.  He looked like shit; eyes puffy and nose dripping like he’d spent a good portion of the night crying.  “Y-you okay Taka?”

 

His kyoudai sighed and resumed cleaning off the biker’s face.  “It doesn’t matter.  You’re the one who needs medical care right now.”  


“Wouldja’ stop that,” Mondo lightly slapped Ishimaru’s hand away from his face.  “Now c’mon,” he placed a hand on the other’s shoulder.

 

Ishimaru sniffed loudly as more tears silently made their way down his cheeks.  “I’m sorry I’m a terrible roommate Kyoudai.”

 

“Wha-“ Mondo suddenly found their argument coming back to him full-force, and all the guilt that it contained rushed back too.  Must have been knocked out of him when Kuro had kicked him in the chest.  “Ah, shit Taka.”

 

“I just, I was so _mad_ at you,” Ishimaru kept going.  “You’re so reckless.  I know all the others are gunning after you.  I didn’t know where you were going and when you came back like _this_ ,” he gestured at the biker’s current injured state.  “I,” he paused, collecting himself, but couldn’t seem to find the words.

 

“Kyoudai it’s fine.  ‘Sides I should be the one apologizing to you.”  Mondo admitted and rubbed the back of his head.  “I haven’t lived with anyone in so long and I guess,” he realized something and began to laugh.

 

“What is it,” Ishimaru looked concerned, “Kyoudai why are you laughing?  You’re going to break the cut on your lip back open!”

 

“It’s just,” Mondo smiled up at the other man, “This reminds me of when Daiya and I would fight.  I forgot what that was like.  One time he almost busted my ass ‘cause I got caught doin’ donuts around a police car.”

 

Taka looked shocked.  “You’re getting sentimental over fighting with your brother?”

 

Mondo chuckled some more, “Yeah, I am.”

 

Ishimaru seemed to process this knowledge before offering a smile himself, banishing away all the tension between the two of them.  “I guess that our disagreement makes us really like brothers, right?”  He gently placed a bandage over the cut under Mondo’s eye.

 

Mondo smiled.  “I guess it does.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, forewarning: we're talking all the tropes here. When I said tooth-rotting fluff I meant it. I'm a sucker for that friends-to-lovers shift and I am taking full advantage of it.


	6. Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I promise they're going to get longer. Apparently I have no concept of consistent length.  
> Also we're back to fluff so yay!

Ishimaru didn’t hate his job.  It paid well, kept him busy, and in the HR department he got to enforce the rules a lot of his coworkers over-looked.  Even the fact that he was the _head_ of the HR department was nothing to sneeze at.  The previous head had retired, and seeing as how the Ultimate Moral Compass was applying to their company, the CEO had quickly shoved him in the position.  He hadn’t worked for it at all which just sat heavily in his stomach and put a bad taste in his mouth.  He couldn’t believe his boss would do that when there were no-doubt other people who had worked very hard for the job he now had.

 

No, Taka didn’t hate his job.  He just heavily disliked it.

 

He often berated himself for that fact.  He was fortunate in a way a lot of other people weren’t, but it didn’t change how he felt.  He had thought that he would be doing more than what he had been doing throughout all of high school.  Yet, here he was, listening to an argument between two accountants about a stolen sandwich.

 

Scratch that, being a hall monitor at Hope’s Peak had been more interesting.

 

The raven-haired man sighed and held up a hand, silencing the other men.  He calmly explained to the one who had admitted to eating the sandwich that he would have to pay his coworker for the lost food before producing his own turkey sandwich and handing it to the man who’d had his stolen.

 

As they left, Ishimaru’s shoulders slumped in relief.  The office was small, furnished sparsely with two chairs facing his cheaply-made desk and industry-standard computer. A poster illustrating what entailed sexual harassment hung on the far wall. 

 

It wasn’t where he wanted to be sure, but it paid the bills.  He grimaced at the thought.  He certainly had enough of those, after all.  He couldn’t imagine how much worse it would have been if-

 

His ruminations were interrupted by a loud knock at the door.  Ishimaru straightened before calling out, “Come in.”

 

With all the grace of a gorilla on a tricycle, a very greasy Mondo Oowada entered the pristine office.  “Hey Kyoudai,” the biker grinned widely.

 

“K-kyoudai!”  Ishimaru jumped in his office chair.  “What in the world are you doing here?”

 

“I’m on lunch break,” Mondo replied a little too cheerily.  “And now that I’m _here_ , so are you!”

 

“What?”  Ishimaru was a bit confused.  Sure his kyoudai could be a little rash in his decisions, but it was unlike him to just burst in like this.

 

“You heard me,” Mondo strode closer to the desk where the other was sitting.  “You. Me. Lunch. Now.”

 

Now Ishimaru was incredibly confused.  “Kyoudai, you are perfectly capable of eating lunch on your own.  Why did you come all the way here?  Besides, I have a lot of work to do concerning the company’s fall dinner.”

 

Mondo grinned like a cat that had caught the canary.  “And that’s exactly why yer coming with me.”  When all he got for a response was a perplexed look as the younger tried to piece Mondo’s logic together, Mondo sighed and gently closed the door.  “One of yer coworkers, Sotaro I think his name was, came by with his car for repairs.  Didn’t take long for him to start talking about his job.  Told him I knew you.  He said he’s seen you around but that you never come to lunch.  So,” Mondo continued, “knowing you, I figured you never take a lunch break.”

 

“Kyoudai,” Ishimaru eyed the other man with a certain tiredness.  “If you’re here to force me on a lunch break; valuable time that I could be spending on work- “

 

“You bet the stick up yer ass I am!”  Mondo looked far too proud about this.

 

“And if I refuse,” Ishimaru raised an eyebrow in defiance.

 

Mondo’s grin widened impossibly more.  “Can’t, already talked to yer boss.”

 

Every inch of Ishimaru’s body froze.  “You didn’t.”

 

“Yep, you got the rest of the day off!”

 

Ishimaru groaned and face-planted into his keyboard, creating a mishmash of letters to spring up on the very important paperwork he was working on.  He grumbled something Mondo couldn’t quite hear.

           

“What was that Kyoudai?”

 

“I despise you Mondo Oowada.”

 

Mondo only laughed.

 

* * *

 

           

A motorbike ride later, the two found themselves seated on a park bench, Mondo with some yakisoba and Taka with takoyaki.  Mondo had tried to make the joke that it should be called _taka_ yaki but Ishimaru had just given him a withering look. 

 

In spite of the terrible joke, Ishimaru had to admit it was a rather pleasant afternoon.  The sun was still high in the sky, but the eventual chill of fall was making its presence known in the occasional cool breeze.  Kids played and laughed on the nearby jungle gym, and the occasional jogger passed by the two men.

 

While he was busy enjoying the feeling of the sunshine on his pale skin, he didn’t notice Mono sneak one of his takoyaki.  Mondo happily tossed the fried ball into his mouth and hummed appreciatively. 

 

Taka turned his attention back to the other at the noise.  “Hm?  What is it Kyoudai?”

 

Mondo finished his snack before speaking.  “Reminds me of the old days, y’know,” he poked at his noodles.  “Back when the two of us knew what we were doin’.  Back when you were going to college and I had the gang…”

 

There was something in Mondo’s voice Ishimaru couldn’t help but pick up on.  “Kyoudai….are you seriously thinking about…leaving the Diamonds?”

 

Mondo sighed.  “I dunno man.  Michi is old enough to lead ‘em, and I wanna actually do something with myself.  I’m gettin’ too old for this shit.  My bruises still haven’t healed from the other night.  But,” he looked down, “I dunno if Daiya would want me to…After all, I promised him I’d keep the gang running.”

 

Gently, Ishimaru placed a hand over Mondo’s.  The biker looked up, surprised at the touch.  “I think,” Taka spoke softly, “that Daiya would just want you to be happy.  And he’d think you’ve already done a wonderful job.”

 

Mondo took a minute to think about this before wrapping his much larger, much rougher hand around Taka’s soft, pale one.  Taka gave him a comforting squeeze, before slightly changing subjects.  “Do you still want to be a carpenter like you did in high school?”

 

Mondo chuckled at the question, squeezing his bro’s hand before letting go.  Taka missed the warmth.  “Yeah, turns out the garage let me know I actually do like working with my hands.  It’s the grease I can’t stand.”

 

Ishimaru laughed good naturedly at that.  “I dislike it too.  I don’t understand how you can be surrounded by that all day.”

 

“Eh,” the biker shrugged.  “S’not all bad.  Souda is good company anyway.”

 

Taka grinned, remembering the pink-haired mechanic from their school days.

 

“Hey, Taka.”

 

“Yes, Kyoudai?”

 

Mondo gave Ishimaru a tired smile; tired but determined.  “Let’s make a promise right here, between us as men, to not give up on the future.”

 

“Alright.”  Taka nodded, knowing his initial dream was all but shattered at this point.  But dreams could change, couldn’t they?  Mondo’s easy smile as he dragged Taka over to the swings, chasing all the little kids away was proof enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come bother me at @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	7. Remnants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this??? Back to back updates????????
> 
> Yeah, but they're not going to happen that often. I have about a 3 chapter cushion between what I write and what I post, and I post new chapters when I write the one 3 chapters ahead. This gives me time to edit and fix stuff but also doesn't feel like it's rushing me. Plus I might be late on some updates for the next couple of weeks. Moving back in to college and all that jazz.
> 
> Also! We're back to angst! Skip the italicized part if you don't want spoilers for Danganronpa 1 chapters 2 and 3!

_No.  No no no no nonononono.  He couldn’t.  Not like this.  He wouldn’t believe it.  He…couldn’t have… Right?_

_Why was everyone against him?  He was clearly right.  He’d never do anything like that.  So why was he telling everyone he did?!  There was no proof, no evidence, so there should be no conviction._

_No, please God no.  He couldn’t do this, but it was out of his grasp, flying like sand between his fingers.  He was crying, no, sobbing.  Screaming for it to stop.  He sounded like he was underwater.  No one could hear him.  Why were they all so calm?  Didn’t they care!?_

_The cool press of a chain-link fence was the only thing dividing them but it felt like an insurmountable wall.  He had failed.  He couldn’t save anyone.  He was nothing._

_Death on one side, death on the other._

_And then it was all over._

Ishimaru’s eyes snapped open as he took a sharp intake of breath.  He was shaking from head to toe and tears were flowing freely from his eyes, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember why exactly he was so upset.  He tried to remember but the more he thought, the more the dull throbbing at the back of his head grew.

 

Eventually, Taka realized that sleep would not come back easily to him in this state and sat up.  This, however, turned out to be a mistake as it jostled the back of his head and made his stomach roll.   He just made it in time to the bathroom to kneel next to the toilet and empty the contents of his stomach.

 

To top his headache, vomiting, and lax memory all off, it turned out he was _still_ sobbing loudly for a reason he couldn’t remember. 

 

After he stopped retching, he rested his head on the seat, trying to calm his breathing and quiet his sobbing.  Mondo had been taking night shifts and could use all the sleep he could get.  The biker tended to get grouchy when he didn’t. 

 

Suddenly, there was a strong, warm hand at his back, stroking between the shoulder blades.  Taka groaned.  So much for not waking Mondo.

 

“Hey Kyoudai,” Mondo’s voice was uncharacteristically soft.  “You all done there?”  In response to the question, Ishimaru retched again into the bowl.  “Heh, guess not.”

 

Once Taka was sure he was actually done, he rested his head on the side again and closed his eyes to the feeling of Mondo’s hand on his back.  “Feel better,” the biker asked, and Ishimaru merely nodded, cheek against the cool porcelain.  “Alright, can you stand?”  The hand at his back had shifted to his lower back.  Ishimaru hummed and slowly pushed himself up, Mondo helping steady himself on his shaky legs. 

 

“C’mon bro, you gotta rinse your mouth out,” Mondo’s arm shifted to Ishimaru’s waist as he pressed a cup of water into his hands.  Ishimaru silently did as the other had asked.  When he turned, Mondo had a warm cloth and gently – more gently than anyone else would have thought possible from the gang leader – wiped the cheeks of tear tracks.

 

Mondo had a small smile as his hands ran over Taka’s cheeks.  “What?  Did you go drinkin’ without me Kyoudai?”

 

Ishimaru found he didn’t have the strength to really answer, and instead slumped into the taller man.  “Nightmare.  Migrane.”  He stated simply, hoping that the other got the message.

 

Mondo hummed before gently wrapping his arms around the other and picking him up in a bridal hold.  Under normal circumstances, Taka would have argued, but with his head pounding he doubted he would have been able to walkto his room on his own.  And, for some unexplainable reason, he felt the need to be close to the other man right now.

 

To his surprise, Mondo didn’t bring him to his own room, but instead carried Ishimaru into a different bedroom.  _Mondo’s_ room.

 

It was messy.  Messier than even Mondo’s dorm room in high school.  But it also felt safe and comforting; not unlike the biker himself was to Ishimaru.  It was undeniably Mondo from the Crazy Diamond creed on the wall to the leather-jacketed stuffed dog on the dresser.  Even the _smell_ was distinctive of the man: wood, grease, and work.  For the first time since he had woken up, Ishimaru relaxed the tension in his shoulders.

 

Mondo softly placed the smaller man on the bed, who almost immediately snuggled into the covers, and slid in behind him.  Wait…no, this wouldn’t do.  “K-kyoudai…”  Mondo grunted in acknowledgement.  “This is…we can’t share a bed.”

 

“The fuck ‘re you talkin’ ‘bout?”  Mondo’s accent got significantly more pronounced as he got tired.

 

“It’s,” Ishimaru’s head twinged in protest as he spoke and he winced.  “It’s highly irregular for two men to-“

 

“Taka,” Mondo’s voice was low and gravelly.  “D’you really wanna be ‘lone after a nightmerr that made y’ _that_ upset?”

 

“Well, no.” Ishimaru admitted.  “But I-“

 

“Then go the fuck ta sleep.”  Mondo huffed and turned so he was facing Ishimaru’s back.  It wasn’t long before he was snoring, the rumbling eventually lulling the former-hall monitor into a dreamless sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Ishimaru prided himself on his sleep schedule.  He went to bed early and rose with the sun.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mondo tended to be more of a night owl.  Being a gang member at the earliest hours in the morning did that to a man.

 

And it was because of their opposing sleep schedules that Ishimaru found himself trapped in the snoring biker’s death grip while he, himself, was wide awake.  Somehow, during the night, the two had ended up spooning with Taka being the little spoon.  This meant that the biker’s tanned arms were firmly wrapped around his midsection.  No amount of jostling, pushing, or pulling seemed to be loosening the hold.  If anything, Mondo just held tighter.

 

Mondo was a particularly heavy sleeper, Taka knew this from the sheer number of times he had tried in vain to wake the other up during high school.  Now that he thought about it, it was peculiar that Mondo had even heard his fit in the bathroom last night at all.  He must have been up anyway.

 

It was Saturday, not a weekday, so Taka decided to just let the other sleep and take the opportunity to look around the room.  The few times, two exactly, that Taka had actually seen Mondo’s room had been either brief or clouded in sickness.

 

Clothes were strewn all over the floor, except for Mondo’s black jacket which was hung lovingly up on a hook affixed to the closet door next to another almost-identical white one.  Ishimaru had never seen him wear that one and found himself thinking that white would be a nice color on him.

 

The stuffed dog he had seen last night was still there, looking cute and completely out of place, even with the leather jacket.  Ishimaru knew that the other had a great liking of dogs but never pictured the other to have a fluffy stuffed one in his room.  At least not _that_ fluffy.

 

Next to the dog was something Ishimaru couldn’t quite make out.  It looked like a wooden carving of a bird of some kind rising out of…flames?  The phoenix maybe?  Even if he couldn’t see all the details, Ishimaru could tell it was beautiful.  Had Mondo made that?  He had carved some in high school, more out of boredom from not being able to ride with his gang as much as he would have liked. 

 

It wasn’t very _good_ in high school, and most of Mondo’s earliest attempts were thrown into the school fire much to Ishimaru and Chihiro’s assurances it didn’t look ‘like shit’.  But if the carving on the dresser was any indication, he’d been practicing in spite of earlier failures.  It made Taka proud knowing his kyoudai was doing the absolute best he could through hard work.

 

On the other side of the carving were a couple of pictures.  Ishimaru recognized two of them well.  One was a group picture of their class after field day.  It had been a great day if a bit too sunny for his pale skin.  He had developed a sunburn after the day and Mondo had joked that he really did look like ‘one of those hot springs monkeys’ before apologizing and helping spread afterburn on his back.

 

Next to that picture was one of him, Mondo, and Chihiro laying out on a blanket, enjoying the sakura blossoms.  Well, Mondo was taking a nap, but he and Chihiro were at least enthralled with the trees.  Taka himself was pretty fond of the photo and had it pinned to the corkboard in his room.

 

It was the next picture - the one closest to the bed - that Ishimaru didn’t recognize.  It had Mondo in it, but he appeared much younger than Taka had ever known him.  He was smiling brightly, standing next to a man with hair styled similarly.  The other man had jet black hair and his hair was softer-looking than Mondo’s.  He was giving a bright smile to the camera and bunny-ears to Mondo.  Both wore the white Crazy Diamonds coats.

 

 _Daiya_ , Ishimaru thought.  Mondo spoke of his brother all the time, but the younger had never seen the legend before.  He looked nice, Ishimaru decided.  Calmer than Mondo, but he seemed to carry the same swagger and confidence.  He could see why people would want to follow him, even if it was a gang.  He had that air of calm, cool, authority, but also seemed charismatic enough to talk to.  Ishimaru figured he would have liked the man had he met him.

 

It was at this moment that Ishimaru’s ruminations ended as Mondo yawned and shifted behind him and he was finally able to break free and start his daily exercises.


	8. Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light NSFW warning for the italicized part at the beginning. Nothing really that bad but y'know beware.

_Mmm….warm._

_God when was the last time he felt this warm?_

_Huh?  When did Taka get here?  Oh well, he was making Mondo warm and that was enough._

_Wait…too warm.  Hot.  But not uncomfortable._

_He snuggled closer to the man in front of him and breathed deeply.  It sounded weird, but Taka always smelled really good.  Like paper and laundry detergent.  He wondered vaguely if he could bottle that scent and keep it forever.  Maybe just keep Taka forever.  Yeah…yeah that’d be easier.  He was a fucking genius._

_He patted Taka in an attempt to wake the other man.  Wow that smile, he’d do anything to make Taka smile.  “Hey…hey Taka,” but first he had to tell the other man his plan.  “Stay with me forever, yeah?”  Fuckin’ nailed it._

_The other laughed.  Not what he was going for but he’d take it._

_Then the raven-haired man lying next to him reached out and gently brushed the hair out of his face before cupping his chin.  Taka’s skin was so soft, and the way he was looking at Mondo…_

_The kiss started off innocent, he swore.  Just a gentle press like the rolling of waves on the shore.  But he wanted, needed, more and Taka was clawing at his back like he was going to be ripped away.  And then their clothes were just_ gone _and the feeling of bare skin under him was almost too much and he was kissing down the other’s neck listening to the stifled groaning, and had Taka just_ cursed _and, and, and…-_

And he was _very_ awake.

 

And _very_ confused.

 

And if the warm feeling down by his crotch was any indication, _very_ aroused.

 

What.  The.  Fuck.

 

* * *

 

 

“Ah!  Good morning Kyoudai!”

 

Mondo jumped about 3 feet into the air at the greeting as he entered the kitchen.  It was standard, and something the other did loudly every morning.  So why was he so _goddamn jumpy_?  Male friends had wet dreams about each other from time to time, _right_?  Even if he _wasn’t gay_.  _Right???_ Right.

“Kyoudai?”  Ah shit, he’d made him concerned now.  “If you didn’t get enough sleep last night because of me, you are free to go back to bed.”  Ishimaru looked rather guiltily at the toes of his boots.

 

“Ah no, that’s n-OT it.”  Fuck, his voice cracked.  What was _wrong_ with him this morning? 

Taka must have noticed and looked up, to which Mondo quickly looked away.  No way he could look his kyoudai in the face after this morning especially after- “Well I see you’ve already showered.” 

 

Yeah… _that_.  More like questioning his sexuality under freezing cold water for 15 minutes.

 

Ishimaru completely missed his bro’s discomfort over the unusual morning shower and continued.  “Perhaps I’m just having a good influence on you and you’ve decided to make the most of your day!”

 

Mondo grunted something to the affirmative before pouring himself a bowl of what Taka referred to as “sugar coma in a box,” and retrieving his mug of coffee which had already been set out for him.

 

“Oh, that reminds me.”  Mondo looked up, spoon of mushy cereal almost to his mouth.  “You wouldn’t happen to have a suit would you?”

 

“Hm?  No.  Never needed one y’know?”

 

Taka scowled at the answer.  “I don’t either.  A decent suit is a good investment, but one my family and I were never able to make with the bills.”  He sighed deeply.  “And unfortunately, I don’t know any rental places near here.”

 

Wait…putting aside his homosexual crisis over his best friend for a second, didn’t someone tell him…?

 

“Chihiro!”

 

Taka looked up, alarmed at the biker’s sudden outburst.  “Y-yes, what about him?”

 

“Well, back when Chihiro was getting stronger, when he finally wanted to wear men’s clothing again, he wanted a suit for an interview but couldn’t afford one.  Apparently, this dude in the year ahead of us in high school heard him complainin’ about it at lunch and offered to make him a full suit for free.  Turns out he was the Ultimate Tailor or whatever.”

 

Taka crossed his arms.  “I fail to see how that helps us in any way.”

 

“Well see that’s the kicker,” Mondo grinned.  “The guy’s nuts.  Goes on and on about ‘male beauty’ or whatever.  He made a vow at graduation, that if any male student at Hope’s Peak didn’t own a suit, he’d custom-make one for them, _free_.”

 

Ishimaru looked shocked.  “He can’t be serious.  That’s hardly a good model for business.”

 

“Eh, he makes enough selling mass-produced shit to department stores.”

 

“Still,” Taka still looked troubled.  “Maybe not for free, but if I’m lucky I can just have him take the price down.”

 

“Welp, cool,” Mondo finished his cereal and brought the bowl to the sink.  “I can drive ya over now, drop ya off, maybe get a deal in the hardware store next door.”  _Get my mind off of yer ass for two seconds…_

 

“Wait, Mondo?”  Taka pushed back his chair from their little dinette and brought his own bowl over to the sink.  “Where are you going?”  


“The hardware store. Why? Ya want somethin’?”  Why was Ishimaru looking at him like he’d grown two heads?

 

“You need a suit too.”

 

“Wait, why?  I know you probably think I need one because everyone should have one, but if I’m gonna be-“

 

Realization dawned over Ishimaru’s face.  “Oh, I didn’t tell you because you’ve been working nights.”

 

Mondo asked his next question carefully, not really sure he wanted to know the answer.  “Tell me what?”

 

Taka sighed and grimaced again.  “Do you remember the afternoon you and I went and got lunch in the park?  You had to talk to my boss.”

 

The biker had to think.  Ever since that first day, they had made it a thing.  Once a week, Mondo would barge into Ishimaru’s office and declare that they were having lunch, to which the other would reluctantly agree.  Then as they ate, they’d bitch about their jobs.  It was only a weekly thing, but ever since he started working the graveyard shift Mondo appreciated the time to talk with his bro.  And despite his show of ‘not wanting to leave his precious work until the last minute,’ Mondo knew that Ishimaru also really liked their weekly lunches.

 

“That was the first one right,” Mondo rubbed the back of his head.   “Yeah I think I remember that.  He’s a big guy, kinda’ a suck up.”

 

“Your poor description of my superior aside,” Taka gave him a look which he had to stifle the urge to chuckle at.  “He’s quite fond of you.  He’s requiring I bring you to the fall dinner as my ‘plus one’.”

           

“Wait, really,” Mondo asked, shocked.  “I didn’t think I made that much ‘a impression on the guy.”

 

Taka continued.  “Regardless, it is a formal affair and I doubt my superiors would appreciate you showing up in your work clothes.  Not to mention what it would do to my reputation if they knew I was living with a gang leader…”

 

Ah, of course.  Mondo did what he did with every negative emotion and buried the hurt that he would hurt his kyoudai’s _precious_ _reputation_ deep inside himself.  That solved his issue from this morning.  Even if he was in love with Taka, which he _wasn’t_ because he _wasn’t gay_ , it would never work.  Taka was hoping to be Prime Minister one day.  He couldn’t afford to hang around the leader of Japan’s biggest motorcycle gang, let alone be _gay_. 

 

“Alright, alright, I get it, ok…”  Mondo gently put his hand on Taka’s shoulder to stop the other from lecturing him about the benefits of owning a suit other than the dinner.  “Jus’ lemme get dressed and we can go.”

 

He should feel relieved this morning was just a fluke.  But then why did he feel so _hurt_?  Maybe it was the indication that no matter the lunches, or the fact that Taka knew just how he liked his coffee…No matter how much better he slept with the smaller in his arms…it couldn’t last.   Just like how high school couldn’t last, he was going to have to spend every moment he could with his kyoudai.

 

And shopping for a monkey suit was a good place to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suits are my ultimate weakness. Send help.
> 
> Come bother me at @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	9. It Suits You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnnnnn Suits.

Taka would never admit it to Mondo, but he was getting very fond of the rides on the bike.  He got to hold his kyoudai close without directly asking said biker.  If pressed even more, he would also admit that this morning, waking up in his arms, was something he wouldn’t have minded doing every morning.  The taller gave him a feeling of safety and comfort he had never found anywhere else and he wanted to hold onto that for as long as he was able.

 

However, Mondo was acting particularly odd this morning.  He refused to meet Ishimaru’s eyes.  At first, he had thought it was because the other was regretting their sleeping in close proximity, but now he wasn’t so sure.  Mondo was quiet; something he only did when bottling up emotions, and now Ishimaru was worried he had offended his best friend unknowingly.  He couldn’t think of anything that would have made Mondo act this way, but there had to be something...Right?

 

Eventually Mondo parked the bike on the street in front of a very fancy-looking boutique.  It was a small shop, but elegantly done up with a blue-white color scheme and striped awnings.  Even upon a quick glance, one could tell the suits displayed in the windows were of the utmost quality.  Ishimaru remembered what Mondo had said as he looked at them.  Could he really afford these, even at a discount?  Could Mondo?

 

“Hey, ya comin or not?”  Mondo called as he opened the door and a bell dinged to announce their arrival.

 

The inside was just as, if not more, fancy as the outside.  Dress shirts lined the shelves in all different colors, though white seemed to be the most prominent.  Ties hung from hooks next to shiny cufflinks and near the cash register was a book with samples of the different types of fabric.  The focal point of the store without a doubt was the fitting area near the back where a black pedestal was surrounded by large mirrors.  Couches were placed here and there to act as waiting areas for those not being fitted, but even those appeared to be made of velvet.

 

Ishimaru didn’t feel at all worthy of being in such a place, and if the look on his face was anything to go by, Mondo didn’t exactly feel comfortable either.

 

“Hello sirs, do you have an appointment?”  Both were stunned out of their discomfort by a drawling voice from the cash register.  A young woman sat with a magazine, not even bothering to look up at them as she asked the question.

 

“Um, ah, no.  I’m afraid we don’t,”  Ishimaru stammered out.

 

The woman still didn’t look up, but didn’t miss a beat.  “Well I’m sorry sir, but we’re all booked out until February.  I could pencil you in if you’d like.”

 

“February!” Ishimaru’s piercing voice finally got the girl to look up, unimpressed.  “But that’s too late, I need them by November!”

 

 The woman rolled her eyes and went back to her magazine.  “I’m sorry sir but there’s nothing I can do.”

 

Mondo grimaced at the woman.  It was times like this he wished he could intimidate women with a show of force like he was used to doing with men.  Luckily for him, a voice popped up from the back room behind the cash register.  “Yui!  Who is that at the door?”

 

“I dunno, some guy with crazy eyebrows and another with hair that looks like corn.”

 

There was a pause, during which Mondo almost, _almost_ lost it before the voice called back.  “Like the color, or corn on the cob?”

 

“Cob,” Came the girl’s immediate response.

 

Suddenly, there came the sound of quick footsteps.  With a loud bang, a harried, but smartly dressed, man threw open the swinging door to the back room.  His hair was dark blue and slicked back, eyes emerald, and he was wearing a suit of the deepest black with a teal tie.

 

“It can’t be…”  He scurried around the counter to gawk at the two men before his mouth spread into a wide grin.  “If my eyes don’t deceive me, and they never do, it must be Ishimaru-kun and Oowada-kun!”  He grabbed Mondo’s hand and started shaking it vigorously.  “I never thought I’d have the privilege to make your acquaintances!”

 

“Wait, how tha hell do you know our names,”  Mondo tried unsuccessfully to extract his hand.

 

“Oh don’t be so modest!  We’re all ultimates here,”  He changed to now trying to take Ishimaru’s arm off.  “Kenjiro Adachi, Ultimate tailor at your service.”

 

“Ah, yes.”  Ishimaru straightened and shook the man’s hand back.  “Kiyotaka Ishimaru and I-“

 

“Oh, yes I know who you are!  You wore that crisp white number with the gold accents in our school days.  I’ve been dying to get you into another color.  With that figure of yours we could probably do a sleek black or burgundy.  What are your thoughts on sapphire?”

 

Now Taka had been told throughout his life that he talked too much, especially about things no one understood or cared about.  The thought was fleeting, but he wished he could introduce those people to Adachi as he fussed.

 

* * *

 

 

After a whirlwind of events that neither of them really comprehended, full of measuring tape being thrown at them and being asked if they liked this or that fabric, they were both shoved into dressing rooms with suits.

           

“Now, these are just floor models, I can tailor fit them to you but I should be pretty close,” Adachi called through the door.  “If you don’t like them, that’s ok, but just know you’d be the first to go against my intuition.”

 

Ishimaru considered the pieces in front of him, trying to figure out how each of them was supposed to go on and in what order.  There were no mirrors in the dressing rooms so he had no idea what exactly he looked like.  He hadn’t said anything to Mondo, but he was nervous.  He’d never worn a suit.  If the need for one arose while he was growing up, he just wore his cleanest, whitest uniform.

 

But now he was wearing a suit.  If he became prime minister, this would be his daily outfit.  He’d be plastered on magazines and newspapers dressed like this.  He hoped he didn’t look ridiculous.

 

He pushed open the dressing room door to find Adachi lounging on one of the couches in front of the mirrors and pedestal.  It didn’t look like Mondo was ready yet.  Once the tailor caught sight of Ishimaru, he smiled broadly and stood.  “As I thought!  Come, come let me see you.”

 

Adachi met Ishimaru out of view of the mirrors and considered the suit carefully.  “Let me see your cuffs,” he demanded authoritatively.  Taka obliged and the dress shirt was tugged to show slightly out of the jacket before the jacket itself was pulled down, squaring his shoulders.  Adachi hummed as Ishimaru stood awkwardly. 

 

“I know you like boots but, Derby, maybe wingtip?  Shine or satin, I wonder.”  It didn’t sound like the tailor was actually talking to him, did he want an answer?  “Wait here, I’ll be back.”  Apparently not.

 

As he scampered off to who-knows-where, there came a creak behind Ishimaru.  “Can’t fuckin’ believe Togami actually wore this shit _everyday_.  I can’t fuckin’ breathe!”

 

Mondo was dressed in a shiny black, almost satiny-looking suit.  His waistcoat was patterned, unlike Taka’s own, black with swirling violet designs, reminding Ishimaru heavily of the embroidery on the biker’s coat.  His pocket accent was the same violet as the vest and a thin pocket-watch chain hung from the third button.  His tie was made of a less-shiny black material, but something about it was off.

 

“Kyoudai that’s not how you tie a tie.”  Whatever Mondo had attempted looked like it would have been better suited to keeping boats docked than wearing around one’s neck.  Ishimaru assumed that’s why the other was complaining about not being able to breathe.  It was a shock that the biker hadn’t yet turned the same color as the suit’s accents.

 

“Look, I’ve never done this shit before,”  Mondo tried unsuccessfully to get the knot untied.  “Could you-“  He looked up and whatever he was going to say died in his throat right there and then.

 

Ishimaru didn’t notice, and instead strode over to where Mondo stood, still as a rock.  “Here, let me get that, you’re just making it more tangled in your haste.”  Gently, he began untangling Mondo from his attempt at a necktie.  The biker looked quite handsome.  He cleaned up well and the material Adachi had chosen to put him in was soft to the touch.  He tried not to let his mind wander as he worked at the stubborn knot.

  

* * *

 

 

He’s going to Hell.  Oh God in heaven, Daiya he’s sorry but he’s _definitely_ going to Hell.

 

Taka looked _amazing_.  Adachi may be crazy, but he wasn’t an ultimate for nothing.  He’d put Ishimaru in a simple but clean-cut black suit, crisp white shirt, and burgundy tie and waistcoat.  The burgundy brought out the red of his eyes, and the black contrasted well with his pale skin.  He looked every bit the personable, but all-business prime minister he wanted to be one day.

 

_And he was standing so close as his delicate fingers worked the tie knot._

 

Mondo tried to remember to breathe, but every inhale only brought the scent of paper and detergent that he had been so enamored with this morning.   Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like his own gave him the bright idea that if Taka was so good at untangling this mess, maybe his fingers would be good at _other things_.

 

Yeah, he’s definitely going to Hell.

 

“Ah, got it,” Taka murmured under his breath as the final knot finally gave way and the tie lay slack against his shoulders.  “Ok Kyoudai, watch me, so…”  He then went on to teach Mondo how to tie the tie, but Mondo was too busy watching those hands to really pay attention.

 

“Do you understand now?”  Ugghhh he was giving him that look.  The look that made Mondo believe he could do anything if Taka only believed in him that much.

 

“Y-yeah,” Mondo managed to strangle out.  Taka’s eyes softened and he looked like he wanted to say something else, but was promptly interrupted.

 

“Ah!  Mr. Oowada, I see that I was not wrong in thinking the jacquard would compliment you.”  Adachi set down two pairs of shoes and started brushing loose lint off of Mondo’s shoulders, who in turn was irritated at the loss of Ishimaru’s hands.

 

“Mr. Ishimaru, I’ve brought the Derby’s right there for you, and my suspicions were correct for Mr. Oowada to bring the Chukka’s.”

 

Mondo squinted, confused at the jargon, but Ishimaru seemed to put the pieces together.  The shorter man held up a pair of dress shoes that looked like boots and pointed to them while Adachi was fiddling with Mondo’s cufflinks. 

 

            Once both of them had gotten their shoes on, they both got the chance to look in the mirrors.  Mondo chuckled, thinking he looked ridiculous.  The gang probably wouldn’t even recognize him in this getup if he got rid of his pomp.

 

When it was Ishimaru’s turn however, the other took a minute, standing ramrod straight in the mirror before immediately bursting into tears.  Adachi looked shocked and worried but Mondo just smiled softly, the cause for the outburst apparent.

 

“D-Does he not like it,” Adachi turned to Mondo, concerned.

 

“Heh, nah, just the opposite.”

 

They figured out the tailoring that needed to be done to both suits and when Ishimaru tried to pay for his, Adachi looked practically scandalized.  “Absolutely not, consider it a gift,” he assured the other who begrudgingly accepted.  They set a date to pick up the finished suits and left with a friendly wave.  Adachi waved enthusiastically back and Yui gave a lazy salute.

 

As they got back on the bike, Ishimaru stopped.  “Ah, I forgot to say.”  Mondo looked over his shoulder so he could hear what Taka was saying.  “You looked really handsome Kyoudai!” He was smiling so bright, Mondo could’ve sworn up and down that the sun got a little bit warmer.

 

Mondo grunted something along the lines of “yeah you too,” before turning and gunning the engine.

 

He could only hope the room he had reserved in Hell would be comfy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so cute, gosh.  
> Suit references for anyone who wants to know what they look like:  
> Taka: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/132152570292786492/?lp=true  
> Mondo: https://www.ottavionuccio.com/en/suit/ongala-1901.html


	10. Dimondo?  More like bi-Mondo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning at the beginning, but not enough to warrant a jump to an E rating. If you are under the age of 18 or just don't like smut/porn skip the italicized part at the beginning please!

_“Ah!”  He couldn’t help the gasp as his back arched off of the bed.  Taka was too good at this for acting like such a prude all the time.  He was going to lose his mind if he hadn’t already.  “F-fuck.  Kiyo…”  He fisted his hand in the dark hair of his lover to ground himself._

_With one large suck, Taka pulled off and nuzzled his face into Mondo’s hand and hummed.  “Enjoying yourself?”_

_He kissed the head of his dick, locking his red eyes on Mondo’s face to see his reaction and Mondo couldn’t help but shiver.  “Fuck yes.”  The corner of Taka’s mouth quirked up, and it was that smug look, completely at home on the_ normally _decent man, that made Mondo absolutely lose it._

_With a growl, he’d flipped them, wiping that look off of the other’s face as he attacked his mouth.  Taka whined headily and clawed at Mondo’s back, silently begging for more.  Mondo pulled back to admire the way Taka’s eyes had become unfocused and his face was flushed as he panted heavily.  God, he was beautiful._

_“Mondo, please.”_

_The words went right to his already-painfully-hard dick.  Taka very rarely called him by his first name alone, and the action felt incredibly intimate.  He knew the other had felt his length twitch because in the next moment the younger was whining and writhing underneath him, trying to get any amount of friction._

_“Ahn~  Kyoudai.  Kyoudai please…”_

“Kyoudai!  Please wake up!”

 

With a shout, Mondo shot up as he woke, accidentally whacking his head against something.  That something turned out to be Ishimaru’s forehead and the two spent the next few seconds in agony, clutching their heads.

 

“Fuck Taka, it’s three in the morning,” Mondo remarked upon looking at the digital alarm clock next to his bed.  “Why’d you wake me up?”

 

Ishimaru rubbed his forehead, grimacing.  “I was going to the bathroom but you were making pained noises in your sleep.  You were having a nightmare.”

 

Oh. 

 

Mondo looked away sharply to hide the way his face absolutely engulfed itself in red. 

 

8 nights…in a _row._

 

It wasn’t like he _wanted_ to have wet dreams about his best friend, but he couldn’t get them to stop!  He wasn’t even gay!  He was attracted to women!  So why was this happening?  And now he was apparently making _noises_ in his sleep?  He thanked whatever fucked guardian angel that was looking over him that he apparently hadn’t moaned Taka’s name.

 

Said man placed a hand on Mondo’s back, probably hoping to comfort the other from his “ _nightmare”,_ but the hand just burned through Mondo’s shirt.  Was he sick?  He felt too hot.  “Do you want to discuss it?”  He turned to see the concern written on the other’s face, which in turn just made him feel worse as he remembered how that face had looked in his dream.

 

“Nah,” Mondo managed to choke out.  “D-don’t really ‘member it.”

 

Ishimaru’s brows furrowed.  “Ok.  Well then, move over please.”

 

“Wha? Why?”  Mondo could feel his pulse rising as Ishimaru slid into his bed next to him.  His pajamas were soft and his body added a nice warmth that Mondo _definitely_ shouldn’t be appreciating.

 

Taka gave him a look and nudged him over a bit more so Mondo’s back was firm against the wall.  “When I had a nightmare, you did the same for me, so I’m just returning the favor.”  With that, Taka laid down and patted the mattress next to him.  “C’mon Kyoudai, you need to get 8 hours of sleep.”

 

Knowing that he couldn’t argue with Taka when he was like this, Mondo carefully laid down with his back to Ishimaru so the other wouldn’t notice the…ah…issue he was having. 

 

Unfortunately, Ishimaru had other plans and turned to wrap his arms around Mondo’s middle, practically spooning him.  Mondo didn’t know whether to freak out because _why was the other cuddling up to him,_ or be offended that he was the _little_ spoon.

 

Taka yawned behind him and something about it being comfy and reminding him of Mondo’s bike(?) before his breathing steadied into sleep.

 

Yeah, Mondo wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep that night.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey Michi…”  Mondo wasn’t sure if he wanted to have this conversation.

 

The 17-year-old looked up with a smile from where he was polishing his bike.  “Yeah Boss?”  Despite becoming older, Michi had maintained his boyish charm.  He even still had the fan club of annoying squealing girls following him everywhere, though they usually backed down when Mondo yelled at them.  Most girls did.

 

He and Mondo had taken a few of the gang to a cliff overlooking the beach.  They’d set up a bonfire and passed around beers.  Standard Sunday night.  Maybe it was the few Mondo already had in his system that gave him the courage to bring up the issue.

 

“So, uh, I got a question for you…”  Mondo fiddled with a loose piece of thread on his coat, trying to look casual and failing miserably.  Michi, ever the patient one waited for him to spit it out.  “Uh…when did you realize you liked guys?”

 

Michi paused for a second, seemingly taken aback by the abrupt question, before barking out a laugh and taking a swig from his beer.   “Taro owes me 5000 yen.”

 

“What?”

 

“Eh, nothing Boss.”  The blond-haired-boy stood, wiping his hands on an oil cloth.  He looked thoughtful.  “I guess I always have?  I mean, it took my first crush to really solidify it, but I never really looked at girls like the rest of the gang did y’know?  Yeah they’re nice n’all but they’re just not my type.”  He looked over at the fire, and not for the first time, Mondo was struck that he had gotten so much older.  “I thought all the guys would get on me about it but…”  He smiled as someone started singing an old folk song, really loudly and very off-key.

 

“Nah Michi, you stood up for what you wanted.  Stood up to yer old man and to us.  That takes balls.”  Mondo grinned down at the younger.  “’Sides, you’re like family to me.  They’d have to get through _these_ first.”  Mondo jokingly flexed to which Michi scoffed. 

 

“Yeah, ok Boss.”  He ran the cloth over his seat once before stowing it away in the saddle bag, a glint in his eye.  “So, when’re you gonna tell Taka you like ‘im.”

 

“Probably shouldn’t, he’s got that whole Prime Minister thing going and I don’t even know if he likes-” Mondo stopped mid-sentence and looked with horror over to a very smug Michi.  “You little shit.”

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone Boss.”

 

Michi, sensing that maybe he had pushed his luck a little too far, took off running down the road back to the bonfire the minute he saw Mondo’s face.  Mondo called out, “I ‘aint gay for Ishimaru,” though Michi was probably out of earshot.

 

* * *

  

That night, Mondo decided against falling asleep until he _absolutely_ had to.  He felt like every time he closed his eyes he was pressing his luck, and Taka would eventually find out what happened in his dreams.  He tried everything to stay awake.  He watched Maltese puppy videos, browsed for motorcycle parts, he even watched some guy carve a tiny chicken out of a twig.  Long story short, he was running out of things to do.

 

Maybe he was too tired, maybe it was the beer still in his system, but he wanted to test something.  One incognito search later and hundreds of pictures of well-endowed, curvy women popped up on his phone.  Ok, yep, no he wasn’t gay.  He could just picture just one of these cute chicks hopping on the back of his bike asking for a _ride_.

 

Then why the _fuck_ was he having these dreams?

 

One more search and now instead of women gracing his phone in all their voluptuous glory, it was men.  The more he kept scrolling, hoping to prove himself wrong, the hotter his face got.  Ishimaru was pretty fit right?  Maybe he’d look like this guy…or that one with the black hair.  From there it just spiraled into thinking about what his best friend looked like completely naked, before imagining the needy noises he’d dreamed this morning and how good Ishimaru’s arms felt around him.

 

No, that wasn’t a thing…was it?

 

With a growing sense of dread and something he couldn’t quite place, Mondo made one more search.

 

_Is it possible to like men and women?_

The first result to come up was actually a definition, not a help blog like he had hoped.  _Bisexuality: (noun) sexual attraction to both men and women._  

 

Wait.

 

That was an actual thing?!  Sure he had looked it up, but he hadn’t been expecting any results!  Maybe just one saying that he was crazy.

 

Mondo groaned and threw his phone on the floor, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.  Then that was it, he didn’t have the excuse of being attracted to women anymore.  And as Ishimaru poked his head into Mondo’s bedroom again, saying he had heard a thud and groan and if he wanted company again, Mondo knew he was fucked.

 

It was better, he decided, to keep stuffing these feelings deep inside himself.  Perhaps it was a phase?  And even if it wasn’t he knew full well he couldn’t have the one person who sparked these feelings in him.  Not if Ishimaru was to achieve his dream.  Gay marriage was still illegal for God’s sake, no one would elect a gay PM.

 

So then why was he nodding and scooching over so Ishimaru could join him under the covers again?  Maybe he was just a sucker for punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is actually a very personal chapter for me. I'm bi/pan and going through puberty I had crushes on both girls and guys. I thought something was wrong with me and I'd eventually have to pick one over the other. I was uncomfortable with my own feelings because I thought one or the other wasn't really valid and I was just faking it. I didn't know liking both was even an option. My mind was BLOWN when I found out that I could be attracted to both, and the rest is history. 
> 
> That's why when people headcanon Mondo as bi, I just get all these warm lil fuzzies in my heart. Representation, especially for bi men, is super important.
> 
> Ok, rant over. I expect the next chapter will be coming out soon. (Hopefully) Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	11. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten so many nice messages from you guys. Thank you so much! I'm so glad you guys are liking my fic! It gives me the drive to keep writing!

Taka normally didn’t mind riding his bike to work.  It saved money that gas or public transport would normally cost, and it helped keep him in relative shape despite having a desk job.  However, there were days that riding his bike was less-than-optimal.

 

Today was one of those days.  The forecast had called for rain, but he hadn’t been expecting it to be _this_.  The sky was a foreboding overcast gray and droplets relentlessly pelted the window of his office.  Eh…it wasn’t _too_ bad.  Maybe he could…

 

Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the room, followed closely by thunder.  _RRRRRMMMMMM!_

And there goes the plan of walking home with an umbrella.  He’d rather make it back to the apartment without being deep-fried.

 

He sighed deeply and turned back to his work.  This fall dinner was taking up so much of his time, and for what?  Surely, they could use the budget on something more useful.  He knew that camaraderie was important in the workplace…though Taka wasn’t sure he cared for some of his co-workers.  They were the type of people to coast along life, not willing to put effort into anything they did, instead foisting the work onto someone else.

 

At least he’d have Mondo to talk to for the night.  He wasn’t sure why, but ever since his nightmare – which he still couldn’t remember – he’d felt oddly protective of the other man.  It was ridiculous.  Mondo was a grown man, a gang leader, he didn’t need some college drop out to protect him.

 

Yet, whenever Taka was around Mondo, his pulse calmed and he didn’t feel so on-edge.  It was peculiar.  Ishimaru was used to making sure he was the epitome of Ultimate Moral Compass everyone expected him to be.  He couldn’t afford to bring any more shame to the Ishimaru name than it already possessed.  With his kyoudai though, all of that seemed to melt away and he could just be Kiyotaka.  Not the Ultimate Moral Compass, not the grandson of a disgraced Prime Minister, and not a socially awkward man no one wanted to be friends with.

 

It was an addicting feeling, one that he was ashamed to say he’d been taking more and more advantage of.  Over the past couple of nights, he’d taken every chance he could to sleep with Mondo.  He _liked_ waking up next to the other; feeling the warmth their two bodies created under the sheets.  There were even some mornings he, heaven help him, had wanted to _shirk his work schedule if only it meant he could stay there in bed with Mondo._

 

What was _wrong_ with him?

 

Taka had resigned himself to taking the metro and was packing up his briefcase when, not for the first time, his office door slammed open to reveal a certain biker.

 

To say Mondo was wet would be an understatement.  He looked like he had decided to take a mid-afternoon swim while wearing all of his clothes.  His white tank top stuck to his chest and his pompadour had been completely demolished, instead hanging limply in front of his face.  Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Taka registered that Mondo actually looked rather attractive like this, before dismissing the thought for more pressing matters.

 

“Kyoudai, you didn’t drive all the way over here in the rain, did you?”

 

Mondo chuckled and combed back his long hair with his fingers, flicking rainwater all over the floor of Ishimaru’s office, to which the other frowned.  “Heh, what gave it away?”

 

“I’m not riding home with you,” Taka replied, not answering the question Mondo asked but heading off the inevitable next one.

 

“Aw c’mon,” Mondo whined.  “It’d be a lot faster than your bike.”  Taka looked him up and down, trying to make his point clearer.  “M’not _that_ wet,” he mumbled.  “And ‘sides even if you took the metro, that’s still 4 blocks from here.  Yer gonna get wet anyway.”

Taka weighed his options.  Mondo was right, he was liable to get wet no matter what he did.  So, he could either walk 4 blocks, wedge himself into the metro during rush hour like a sardine, or he could get home faster, save money, and hug his kyoudai.

 

The decision was a lot simpler when he put it like that.

 

* * *

 

 

One very wet, very cold bike ride later, they had both made it back to the apartment.  It was quickly decided that they would take warm showers to get the feeling back in their toes.  Taka shook his head when Mondo offered the first shower, saying that because Mondo had been wet a lot longer than he had, that he should take the first one.

 

It was as Ishimaru was getting out of his own shower that he heard it.    

 

_It’s the Ciiiiiiiiiiircle of Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife._

It didn’t _sound_ like the music Ishimaru knew Mondo listened to.  It sounded more…musical?  Wrapping a towel around his midsection and flicking the remaining water out of his hair, Ishimaru decided to go investigate. 

 

“Kyoudai,” he poked his head around the wall into the living room.  “What are you doing?”  On the TV, the very orchestrally impressive song continued playing as it showed random scenes of well-animated animals. 

 

“I figured we could have a movie night cause it’s raining so bad.  S’ the Lion King, Daiya and Iiiiiiii…what the fuck are you wearin’?”  Mondo was staring at him with a blank look on his face, like he couldn’t process Ishimaru without clothes on. Which was weird seeing as this is how he always dressed for their brotherly bonding sauna sessions back in high school.

 

Mondo turned and mumbled something about “movie” and “get dressed…please.”

 

Oh!  So, this is what was referred to as a “movie night!”  They’d never done this in high school.  Was there a certain way Mondo wanted him to dress?  He’d read somewhere that pajamas were suggested but not mandatory…but if he was going to do this he was going to do it right!

 

* * *

 

Mondo’s fingers gripped the countertop, knuckles white.  He needed to get himself under control.  He couldn’t live with this man if he was just going to lose his shit every time the other walked around half-naked.  Even if he looked _really good_.  Even if Mondo wanted to just _run his tongue down the other’s v-line_.

 

Mondo slammed his head into the cabinets, hoping the pain would make his dick calm the _fuck_ down.  _You can’t have him, you can’t have him, you can’t have him_. 

 

He jumped as the microwave went off, signaling the popcorn was done, too lost in his own anxieties to really pay attention.  He sighed and gingerly took the bag out of the appliance, pouring it into a prepped bowl.  

 

“Oh!  I see you have the necessary snacks for our movie night,” Ishimaru remarked.  He was sitting on the couch in his red cotton pajamas and seemed overly excited about a night in with Disney movies.

 

“Y-yeah.” Mondo slid the bowl onto the table and sat down awkwardly next to Taka.  He still had a hard on…fuck.

 

Ishimaru didn’t seem to notice and grabbed some popcorn.  “So, Kyoudai, what are we watching?  Is it a nature documentary?  I didn’t think such things were watched at ‘movie nights’.”

 

“Uh, no.  It’s _The Lion King_.”  Taka gave him a weird look.  “It’s a Disney movie?”  No recognition at all on Taka’s face.

 

“I never got to watch movies as a kid,” Ishimaru took some more popcorn.  “We couldn’t afford them.”  


Mondo took a minute to look at the younger man next to him before ruffling his hair and leaning back into the couch.  “Maybe we should have a marathon then.”

 

Ishimaru gave him another weird look.  “But Kyoudai, it is hardly the right weather for running!”  Mondo took a minute, trying to figure out the other’s logic before laughing. 

 

“No no, it means watching one movie right after the other.”

 

Recollection dawned on Ishimaru’s face.  “Like when Yamada-kun would ‘binge-watch’ something?”

 

Mondo nodded, “Yeah something like that, only this is _loads_ better than any anime.”  He picked up the remote and hit play, resuming the opening song. 

 

Sometime around when Mufasa died, Ishimaru shifted to cling to Mondo’s arm.  He was crying, obviously upset at the tragic parental death in the movie, but Mondo was too busy trying to not pop _another_ boner during such an emotional scene to really comfort him.

 

They managed to get through _The Lion King_ and halfway through _Mulan_ before Mondo realized something was amiss.  Ishimaru hadn’t commented about how ancient Chinese warfare worked in the last 15 minutes.  A quick look to his shoulder showed that Ishimaru had fallen asleep, leaning up against Mondo.  His face was completely calm, eyebrows un-furrowed and mouth slightly agape.  His porcelain skin seemed to shine against the light of the TV, and for a minute, as cheesy as it sounded, Mondo thought that he looked ethereal; like a raven-haired, dashingly handsome angel.

 

Mondo weighed his options.  He could wake Taka, and have them each go to their own beds, or he could fall asleep too, here curled on the couch with the man he inexplicably had a crush on.

 

He nudged Taka’s arm.  “Kyoudai…hey Kyoudai,” Mondo tried whispering.   The black-haired man grumbled something and turned his face into Mondo’s arm.  Mondo sighed and leaned into the arm of the couch, pulling Taka with him.  Once lying on his chest, Ishimaru smiled and snuggled into his chest.

 

Mondo swore he could have exploded right then, but as his own eyes started getting heavy, the only thing that repeated in his head was a steady mantra of _‘You can’t have him, you can’t have him. Don’t forget, you can’t have him.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....gaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
> 
> Come bother me @ GauntletKnight on tumblr!


	12. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Tiger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um...I finished all my work and wrote more today...so DOUBLE UPDATE!!!!! (what is an update schedule???)  
> Happy early-Halloween!

If there was one holiday that Ishimaru disliked over all others, it was Halloween.  Growing up, he never really understood the appeal of the holiday.  He wasn’t one for candy to begin with, and the pranks that teenagers pulled every year just ensured that his father had to work overtime rather than coming home.  That wasn’t to mention the countless ways his classmates had tried to either scare him or annoy him over the years using the holiday as an excuse.

 

When Mondo had come up to him one afternoon with two passes to a local haunted house, Ishimaru had been less than pleased.  Apparently, several members of the gang were working the house, hoping to save up to buy modifications for their bikes, and had therefore given Mondo a pass to come see them in action.

 

“Heh, like they’re gonna be able to fuckin scare me.”  Mondo laughed good naturedly as he tossed the coupons on the kitchen counter.

 

Ishimaru picked the tickets up and glanced over them.  It looked pretty official.  He knew that haunted houses were a thing that people rather enjoyed doing around this time of year, but it was just another thing he didn’t understand.  Why would people pay to be scared?  “Why did they give you two?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Mondo turned with a mug of coffee in his hand that read ‘ _You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a Kawasaki, which is the same thing._ ’  “They gave me two in case you wanted to come.”  His mouth curved up in a wry smile as he lifted the mug.  “Most of the guys fuckin miss ya.  They’re starting to think I’m hoggin ya all to myself.”

 

Ishimaru considered the tickets in front of him.  He’d never been to a haunted house…but it would be rude to refuse the tickets if the gang specifically wanted to see him.  He didn’t scare easily after all his years as a hall monitor.

 

* * *

            

The haunted house, as it turned out, was more like a haunted warehouse.  Ishimaru wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but it wasn’t an abandoned shipping warehouse on the docks of the city blaring thematic music and decorated with strobe lights and the occasional spider web or bloodsplatter.

 

Regardless of what he thought, the line to get in was already wrapped around the block by the time he and Mondo got there.  People in varying costumes chatted amicably on the sidewalk and Ishimaru noticed that there appeared to be a trend where the women wore skimpy outfits with animal ears.

 

Originally, he had been against Mondo’s suggestion that he dress as a classic vampire on the basis of it being historically inaccurate. He had wanted to go as a superhero or maybe even a political figure, but Mondo had disagreed saying they needed to look scary.  As much as he disliked the plastic teeth, watching the girls shivering made him thankful for the surprisingly-warm cape his costume had come with.

 

Ishimaru looked over at Mondo, concerned, as they parked the bike and started walking towards the sound of screaming.  The other had been strangely quiet the entire ride over, and Ishimaru was starting to get a bit concerned.  “Kyoudai,” he asked softly.  “Are you ok?”  Mondo himself had gone for the werewolf option, taking one of his tank tops and slashing it with scissors before splattering it and an old pair of jeans with blood.  Taka tried not to laugh as the addition of wolf ears and a tail didn’t exactly separate Mondo from the several animal-girls in line.

 

Mondo jumped despite the low volume of Taka’s inquiry.  “Y-yeah, I’m great,” he said with false bravado.  Ishimaru would be the first to admit that he wasn’t the best at reading other people’s emotions, but Mondo was clearly _not_ great.  He’d almost ran through two red lights on the way over, and now as they were walking, his face was almost as pale as Ishimaru’s itself.

 

Taka decided to drop the subject as the doorway to the house came into view.  There was a short man at the entrance decorated like a skeleton.  He seemed to be arguing with a group of girls at the front of the line, but brightened significantly when he saw Taka and Mondo.

 

“Hey Boss, glad ya could make it,” the skeleton greeted before grinning at Taka.  It was meant to be a friendly smile, but with the make-up it ended just coming across as menacing.

 

Mondo squinted, trying to see who was under the make-up.  “Michi?  That you?”

 

The skeleton winked and the girls at the front of the line swooned.  Michi rolled his eyes as they fanned themselves.

 

“It _is_ you Yukimaru-kun!”  Taka beamed widely.

 

Michi sighed, “I told ya Taka, jus’ call me Michi.”

 

“Mondo told me how tall you’ve gotten but he didn’t say how much you’ve matured.”  Ishimaru laughed.

 

“Yeah, well he’s still a lil’ shrimp,” Mondo remarked good-naturedly and ruffled Michi’s hair.

 

Michi swatted at the hand, grumbling something about how at least _he_ had a boyfriend, to which Mondo swallowed thickly.  Maybe the gang wanted Mondo to get a girlfriend?  Back in high school, he _did_ have that streak of yelling at girls he liked.

 

Michi changed the subject before Taka got a chance to ask.  “So you guys comin’ in or what?”

 

Mondo was suddenly pulling Ishimaru back towards the end of the line.  “Aw Michi, you can’t let us cut the line, we can wait!”

 

Michi waved his hand and pulled aside the black-out curtain in front of the door.  “Nah Boss, s’ok.”  His eyes glinted mischievously under his make-up.  “Unless yer scared.”

 

Something in Mondo’s demeanor changed and he grabbed Ishimaru’s hand in a death-vice.  “M’not scared.”  He asserted and stormed through the doorway with a lightly-protesting Ishimaru in tow, and immediately they were plunged into pitch-black.

 

Ishimaru sighed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.  “Kyoudai, there were other people waiting.  That was very rude of you.”  Mondo didn’t respond, but his hand tightened impossibly tighter around Ishimaru’s.  “Kyoudai?”

 

“C’mon.  Let’s go…”  Mondo was practically shouting, something Ishimaru knew he did when he was nervous, but without saying anything, he allowed Mondo to drag him further into the house.

 

It became quite apparent very quickly that the gang had decided to go with a ghost ship theme, using the materials already found on the dock to decorate the space.  The first room appeared to be the store room, decorated with barrels and rope.  Some of the barrels had been broken open and even more had bloody handprints pressed on them.  Ishimaru was too busy distracted by the prospect of destruction of property to notice the first gang member covered in bloody gauze popping out of an empty barrel.

 

Mondo however… “Ah!  God, holy shit! Fuck!”  He clung tightly to Ishimaru’s arm and pointed at the ‘ghost’ angrily.  “Fuck you Koga, ya piece of shit!”  The man addressed as Koga merely laughed and sunk back into the barrel.

 

The rest of the walk through the haunted house went much the same way with Ishimaru admiring the effort the gang had put into decoration, and Mondo absolutely losing his shit and cursing out every gang member he recognized.

 

By the time they had reached the end and gotten through the last section which included the Brig, complete with ghostly ‘prisoners’ wailing and rattling chains, Mondo was behind Taka, holding onto his waist and pushing him through.

 

They burst through the last curtain and were met by Michi again, who burst out into laughter once he saw their positioning.  “So, what’ya say Boss, did we do a good job?”

 

Mondo took a few gulps of fresh air and released Ishimaru’s waist.  Taka missed his presence.  “Y-yeah, great job ya nerds.  Almost made me scared for a second.”  He coughed.

 

Instead of making fun of Mondo’s rather obvious fear, Michi just smiled happily.  “We put a lot of work into it Boss, the guys are probably super happy that we were able to rattle you.”

 

Mondo nodded sagely and threw a friendly arm around Taka.  “Well, you guys are gonna do great for the rest of the night.”  Taka nodded in agreement.  “Now, Taka and I are headed home.”

 

“Hey Boss, I’ll let ya go through again.”

 

Mondo was already dragging Ishimaru away.  “What’s that Michi?  Can’t hear ya’!”

 

Ishimaru just rolled his eyes and let himself be pulled away, but not before waving to Michi, receiving a friendly salute from the younger man.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michi totally ships it. He's like the functional gay to Mondo's disaster bi.  
> (also I should be sleeping I have an 8am speech tomorrow...whoops)  
> Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr!


	13. The Party: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update! The next two chapters are pretty long and the two after those are shorter, but important.  
> We're finally moving again plot-wise.

“And you do have the tickets, right,” Ishimaru’s voice called from his bedroom.

 

Mondo sighed.  It was the third time the other had asked that question in the past half hour.  “Yeah I got ‘em right here in my hand.”

 

Ishimaru rushed into the living room, his dress shoes tapping quickly.  “Where’s my tie?  Kyoudai have you seen my tie?” 

 

Mondo gave him a level look from where he leant on the arm of the couch.  Ishimaru was already in a fit and they hadn’t even left the apartment yet.  His suit jacket was falling off, his hair was sticking up in every direction, and his red eyes had a crazed look in them Mondo was sure was scarier than the haunted house they’d visited a week and a half ago.  He was suddenly struck with the thought that this is how every boyfriend felt waiting for their girlfriend to get ready.  “It’s around your neck Bro.”

 

Ishimaru felt around his neck and laughed nervously when his fingertips brushed silk.  “Aha…so it is.”

 

Mondo’s eyes softened as Taka started mumbling to himself about how the caterer should have been there an hour ago and that he should be there to make sure this or that or whatever.  He stood and crossed over to Ishimaru, putting his large hands on Taka’s shoulders.  Ishimaru looked up and red eyes met lilac as Mondo smiled.  “It’ll be fine Taka.”

 

If Mondo was a different man, he would have noticed that Ishimaru’s cheeks colored slightly before he dipped his head.  Taka took a few deep breaths and seemed to compose himself.  “You’re right Kyoudai.”  He looked back up and the determined glint Mondo had learned to know was back in his eyes.

 

Mondo grinned, “C’mere, let’s tame that hair.”

 

* * *

 

 

The ride over to the hotel the party was taking place in was rather uneventful.  The trees had fully turned into reds, yellows, oranges, and golds.  Ishimaru was struck with how beautiful this season really was.  The sun was starting to set, and the leaves that had already fallen whipped around them as the motorcycle sped through the outer city.

 

He gripped onto Mondo just a little bit tighter, enjoying the feeling of the other man in his arms.  He’d managed to get the biker to wear a helmet, just for tonight, arguing it would make him look classy.  Something about that seemed to disgruntle Mondo, but he had still purchased another full-head helmet in a shiny purple to match his suit.

 

Mondo looked great in his suit.  If Taka had thought it fit him well in the shop, it was nothing until Adachi worked on it.  The jacket hugged Mondo’s broad shoulders and the lapel pin was a tiny motorcycle.  The crisp white of the shirt stood out wonderfully with the purple and black accents in the vest but also managed to accentuate that Mondo had not lost an ounce of muscle since he had graduated from Hope’s Peak.  If anything, working as a mechanic had only given him _more_ muscle definition.  Ishimaru hummed to himself as he clung to Mondo, feeling the muscle for himself.

 

They pulled up at the venue during the peak time everyone seemed to be arriving.  Mondo almost got into a fight with the valet, asserting that no one touch ‘his baby’ and that he’d park the bike himself.  Ishimaru dismounted at the door to wait as Mondo went to find a parking space.

 

Taka brushed his own burgundy vest down, removing any imaginary wrinkles that had appeared during the short trip here before looking around at all of the familiar faces entering the ballroom.   Some people stopped to exchange pleasantries and tell him what a great job he did setting the event up, and for the life of him, Taka couldn’t remember their names.  He’d been working for the company almost 3 months now, but he still felt like a stranger; like he really didn’t belong.  He wondered if some of them resented him for getting such a high position upon entry.  He would have if he was in their position.

 

Before his mind could spiral any further into his own anxieties and short-comings beyond his control, Mondo appeared at his side.  In his hands was a small box that, when Taka noticed it, Mondo looked away and rubbed the back of his head.  “C-c’mere.”

 

In the box was a small boutonniere made with a deep-red rose.  Taka’s eyebrows raised to his hairline.  “Is this…for me?”

 

“D-don’t get weird about it or nothin’ I just thought, I had the pin and Michi suggested I get ya something, and this is stupid ya don’t have to take it.”  Mondo had turned and began walking back to wherever the bike was parked, but Ishimaru grabbed his arm.

 

“N-no Kyoudai, it’s wonderful…I love it.”  Taka bit his lip, trying to hide his inevitable tears.  No one had ever gotten flowers for him before, and the gesture looked like it had taken Mondo a lot of time to even consider doing.  And it was for _him._

 

Mondo took out the rose and fed it through the button hole in Taka’s lapel before pinning it.  He smoothed out the fabric, his strong hand lingering over Taka’s heart before pulling away briskly.  Ishimaru was about to ask Mondo about the gesture, but was interrupted.

 

“A-ha!  Good evening boys!”  Coming up the stairs with a measured amount of difficulty was a rather portly man dressed up in a fine black suit with orange accents.  His hairline was receding but if the lack of a comb-over was anything to go by, he was planning on aging with grace.  His cheeks were rosy and his eyes were rather gentle, like the kind a wise grandfather would have.

           

“Tomohiro-sama, good evening,” Ishimaru bowed to the CEO before extending a hand.  “It is a pleasure to see you.”

 

Ikeguchi Tomohiro laughed good-naturedly as they shook hands.  “I already told you Ishimaru, you don’t have to address me so formally.  Just _Tomohiro_ is good enough.”

 

Ishimaru looked uncomfortable.  “If it is all the same, sir, I’d prefer to keep addressing you as such.  You are my superior.”

 

Tomohiro sighed and shook his head.  “If that’s what you truly want my boy.  And aha!”  He turned his attention to Mondo now.  “Mondo Oowada, it’s so nice to see you again.  You clean up well!  Though I do admit, I miss the hair.” 

 

Mondo grinned.  For the event, he’d decided on styling his hair into a half-ponytail rather than his usual biker-hair, and though Taka had to admit he also missed the ridiculous style, the more-mature ponytail made his insides do things he didn’t particularly hate.

 

“You boys have fun tonight,” Tomohiro called over his shoulder as he entered the ballroom.  “But not too much fun, alright?”  He laughed heartily and disappeared into the crowd as Mondo and Ishimaru glanced at each other, confused.

 

“Well,” Mondo was the first to recover and stood a little straighter, climbing a stair to stand on the same one as Ishimaru.  “Are you going to show me what was so important you had to miss two of our lunches to work on?”  He had an easy smile on that assured Taka he wasn’t really mad about the missed lunches.

 

Taka cleared his throat and linked his arm with Mondo’s own suit-clad one, startling Mondo into a blush.  “Alright, Tomohiro-sama is right.  We should have fun.”  And with that, he started back up the stairs into the venue pulling a very flustered Mondo by the arm.

 

* * *

 

 

The ballroom was beautiful.  It was decorated minimally with oranges and reds mimicking the trees outside and each table had a bonsai Japanese Maple as the centerpiece.  A large chandelier hung over a particularly impressive dance floor in front of a DJ.  The entire back wall was made of windows and led out to a balcony where a few people mingled, watching the end of the sunset.

 

Mondo was impressed.  It was certainly the fanciest party _he’d_ ever been invited to, and that included all the school dances at Hope’s Peak.  Ishimaru had organized those too, but this was significantly more elegant.  If Ishimaru was in charge of making this party the way it looked, then he had definitely needed those two lunches to work. 

 

And all of a sudden, Mondo was reminded that he was in over his head.  Ishimaru was counting on him to blend in with all of these fancy executives and business CEOs.  If he didn’t, Ishimaru’s reputation would surely suffer.  He already bore the name of a disgraced prime minister, he didn’t need an awkward biker in a suit he had gotten for free messing up his chances.  He caught the sight of an open bar over by the corner of the ballroom.  God, he needed a drink but did he want to risk getting drunk?  He was no use when he was drunk.  He was never good enough.  Not for the gang, not for Ishimaru, not for Daiya…

 

Taka was saying something to him, but with the buzzing in his head, he couldn’t hear what his kyoudai was trying to tell him.  Ishimaru frowned and directed him through a crowd over to a table where he all-but-manhandled Mondo into sitting down.  Something cool was pressed to his lips and Mondo gratefully accepted the glass of water Ishimaru had handed to him.

 

“Better?”  Taka was looking at him, concerned.  Mondo swallowed and nodded, setting the glass down.  His pulse was racing, but the buzzing in his ears was starting to die down.  Taka grasped his hand and squeezed it.  They sat in silence for a moment, with only the gentle sounds of the DJ playing an oldie and the chatter of people around them filling the void.

 

“Thank you for coming with me,” Ishimaru finally said, looking down at their linked hands.  “I know this isn’t really something you’re used to…but it means a lot to me.”  He looked up and Mondo could see the sincerity behind the scarlet irises.  “So, thank you.”

 

Mondo was stunned for a second, and after stamping down the increasingly overwhelming desire to grab the sides of Taka’s face and kiss him until he couldn’t breathe, he pulled the other man into a hug.

 

Once released, the two looked at each other, an understanding reached about tonight without either of them having to say a word.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee nothing bad could happen now...right?  
> Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	14. The Party: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it cliche? Yes. Do I care? No.  
> (Trigger warning for this chapter, check the tags. Also, don't drink and drive.)

The dinner portion of the party went off without a hitch.  Mondo wasn’t really fond of the fancy dishes placed in front of him or how _small_ each of the portions were, but he wasn’t about to complain about free food.

 

Several of Ishimaru’s co-workers came by the table to tell him what a great job he did organizing the event, to which the HR manager looked positively chuffed.  Mondo couldn’t help but smile as Taka waved at the retreating figure of the head of accounting.  He knew Taka always put 110% into everything he did, it was nice to see him get some recognition for it; recognition that Mondo knew Taka wouldn’t have given himself.

 

Dessert was some kind of fruit torte, and when it was apparent that everyone had finished, the DJ switched from jazzy background music into dance music with a heavy bassline.  It didn’t seem to be the type of music for a standard company dinner.  Mondo was confused, and gave Ishimaru a lost kind of look.  Ishimaru sighed and slumped into his seat, giving a withering look to Mondo before saying something Mondo couldn’t make out through the loud music and the sound of scraping chairs as people got up and proceeded to the dance floor.

 

“What,” Mondo shouted over the music.

 

“I originally suggested something calmer,” Taka yelled back.  “But the consensus of the company was to have _this_.”

 

Mondo bit back a chuckle at the disgruntled look on Taka’s face.  He was so cute when he pouted.  Wait, no.  _No no no, bad Mondo._   Mondo could feel his face starting to heat up.  He needed a distraction, and he needed it _now_.  

 

Before he could get up and ask Ishimaru to dance however, a woman came over to the table.  She was very pretty with deep black hair pulled back into an intricate updo and a soft blue dress.  She seemed nervous for some reason, and looked over her shoulder at a group of girls who appeared to be giggling and egging her on.

 

“Oh, hello Yuko-san.”  Ishimaru stood and bowed as he had for every other person who had come up to their table.  “I hope you are enjoying the party.”

 

“Ah, yes.”  The girl wrung her hands and bowed back.  “Thank you Ishimaru-san.”  She stood back up and Mondo got a good look at her face.  Her cheeks were a bright red and she was looking everywhere but at Ishimaru.  Wait…

 

“I was ah,” She looked down at her shoes.  “I was wondering if you’d like to dance.  With me.  Dance with me that is.  Um.”  She bit her lip and looked up with big glassy eyes; like a doll.

 

Mondo felt every hair on his neck stand straight up.  He felt like a dog with its hackles raised.  That’s what _he_ wanted to ask Ishimaru.  And here she was, being so pretty, being a much better fit for Taka than he’d ever be…

 

Ishimaru, not noticing Mondo’s distress smiled politely and offered his arm to Yuko.  “Of course, Yuko-san, but I admit, I don’t know how to dance to this music.”  _Wait…he said yes?_

 

Yuko’s face broke out into a bright smile, half-relieved, half-ecstatic.  “Oh, don’t worry about that Ishimaru-san!  I can help you!”  She led Taka to the dance floor, leaving Mondo sitting at the table, shell-shocked.  Ishimaru grinned and waved at Mondo from the dance floor, trying to get him to come over, but it hardly registered to Mondo.

 

It was time for that drink.

 

* * *

 

 

After about an hour of dancing, Taka and Yuko retired to the balcony.  Yuko had already shed her heels and was carrying them in one hand.  “You dance very well Yuko-san, Ishimaru remarked next to her.

 

The girl giggled, playing with her necklace.  “Ah, so do you.  And you told me you couldn’t dance!”

 

Taka laughed good-naturedly.  “Well, I did take ballroom in high school.  I just didn’t know it would translate so well to today’s music.”

 

The pair were quiet for a moment.  “Is Tadamori-san giving you any more trouble?”

 

Yuko looked shocked for a moment before smiling.  “Um no, actually.  Thank you for that.  He finally got it though that thick-skull of his that I don’t want to date him.” 

 

Taka nodded and crossed his arms, “Well, that’s good.  Sexual harassment is most definitely _not_ welcomed by anyone in a work environment.

 

Yuko hummed in agreement before growing quiet, biting at the inside of her cheek.  “Besides…I ah…I actually like someone else.”

 

“Is that so?  Well, any man would be lucky to have a respectable woman such as yourself,”  Ishimaru acknowledged, thinking he was stating the obvious, but his answer seemed to make Yuko more nervous.  She was playing with her delicate fingernails as she looked up to the moon.  “Is everything ok, Yuk-urk!”

 

Before he could finish, Yuko had grabbed his tie and pulled him in to kiss her.  Ishimaru wasn’t sure what he expected for his first kiss.  In great literature, they described it as ground-breaking.  Like fireworks exploding against the sky.  This just felt…awkward.  Yuko was sliding her lip-gloss-coated lips all over his, and he just kind of stood there like a dead fish.  Yuko must have noticed because she pulled back with worry written across her face.  She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the loud sound of glass breaking.

 

Both of them jumped and turned towards the sound where Mondo Oowada was standing with a bloody hand and broken glass at his feet.  Taka couldn’t read the expression on his kyoudai’s face, but his eyes were wide, stunned.

 

Before any of them could say a word, Mondo had turned, exited the balcony and was making his way through the crowd.  Ishimaru’s brain caught up to him.  He quickly bowed to Yuko.  “Forgive me Yuko-san.  You are a wonderful woman, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings.”  Yuko appeared surprised. 

 

“I also expect to see you in my office on Monday for a discussion on non-consensual signs of affection.  Now, please forgive me,” with that, Ishimaru turned on his heel and all-but ran back into the party.  “Kyoudai!”

 

* * *

 

 

Mondo had lost track of how many drinks he’d had.  The bartender had looked at him kind of weird but he hadn’t cut Mondo off.  He was ok to ride right?  Right.  He stalked by the valet and through the parking lot to his bike, unsure of what he was feeling.

 

He knew Taka would find a girl to date someday.  That the girl would eventually become his wife, and then the wife of the Prime Minister, but something in his gut made him want to vomit at the sight.  If he knew he couldn’t have Taka, _why did he feel this way?_   Why did he feel _betrayed?_

 

He swore he could hear Taka calling for him, calling ‘ _Kyoudai!’_ but he was just imagining it.  Why else would he hear the mocking word meaning ‘brother’ when _he_ wanted so much else.  _He_ wanted to be the person who danced arm in arm with Taka, that grabbed Taka by his tie and pulled him into a heated kiss, not that…that _bitch_.

 

Angrily, Mondo revved the engine, ignoring the pain radiating from his palm and drowning out the voice calling to him.  It was selfish to leave Taka here, Mondo knew that, but Taka knew people.  He was in his element here, in a world so far away from Mondo’s gang, one that Mondo himself would never be a part of.  Hell, he was probably going home with the woman he was playing tonsil hockey with.  Yeah, they’d go to her place, and she’d lure him into her bedroom and…and.. andandandandandandand.

 

With the sound of squealing rubber, Mondo pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road.  He couldn’t tell if he was crying like a little bitch or if the road was fuzzy from how much alcohol was in his system.  His mind was occupied with imagining things he never wanted to see.  Of the bitch’s hands running over Taka’s chest, of Taka looking at her the way Mondo knew he’d never look at Mondo, of her being the only person to ever make Taka smile, to make him laugh, to make him…

 

The speedometer kept climbing as he rode on.  Typical Mondo, running from his problems.  He was such a fucking coward. 

 

Running from Daiya. 

 

He veered into the oncoming lane. 

 

Running from the gang. 

 

He didn’t notice the two headlights coming at him or the loud blaring of the truck horn. 

 

And now running from _the man he loved_.

 

By the time Mondo had come back to his senses, the truck was right on top of him.  All of his self-hatred climaxed into a memory 8 years ago.  Of headlights…of his brother…of _blood_.  With a swear he could barely hear over the blaring horn, he pulled off the road and skidded across the gravel.  The bike hit a particularly big rock and sent him flying.

 

He landed with a sickening crunch.  His last thought before everything went black was not that Taka was forever gone from him, not his brother who had been dead for over 8 years because of him, but that he’d get an earful from Taka later for not just drinking and riding, but forgetting his helmet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	15. Bedside Manner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late-ish update. I've been having personal issues and I was worried I wouldn't get this out on time. But here it is! I did it! (I should be writing a paper but shhhh)

Taka was running home, hoping to eventually catch up to Mondo and explain things when his phone started ringing.

 

The caller-ID read the as the local hospital, and Ishimaru’s stomach immediately dropped out. _No!  I just saw him!_   He answered the phone rather frantically, fingers sliding along the touch screen.  “Yes?  Is he ok?”

 

The nurse on the other line calmly asked, _“Is this ‘Kyoudai’?”_

 

Ishimaru tried to hold back a sob.  “Y-yes, my name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru.”

 

 _"Ah, I see, a nickname I presume?”_   Taka nodded, not registering that the woman couldn’t see his response.  _“You are the emergency contact for one Mondo Oowada?”_

 

Taka was frozen for a second.  Mondo had cared enough, _trusted_ Taka enough to make him his emergency contact.  He _trusted_ Taka to be there when he needed it.  _But he hadn’t been there tonight_.  His voice came out choked, “Yes…I suppose I am.”

 

Over the line came the sound of rustling papers.  “ _Sir, I am sorry to inform you that Oowada-san was in an accident.”_   Ishimaru gritted his teeth.  He had assumed as much with how Mondo had stormed out.  The biker tended to get lost in his own head and didn’t pay attention when he did.  _But you knew that, didn’t you?  Why did you let him go?_  

 

The woman was still speaking.  “ _He was fortunate enough to not get injured too seriously.  According to the truck driver that called the accident in, he was about to crash into the oncoming truck and pulled off the road at the last minute.”_

 

Ishimaru breathed out a sigh of relief as tears made their way down his face.  Mondo was hurt, ok.  But he was alive.  “ _However,_ ” the woman noted, and Ishimaru immediately tensed up.  “ _He wasn’t wearing a helmet and hit his head pretty hard.  He landed in some leaves that were on the side of the road that cushioned the fall, but he has been unconscious since he arrived.  We are unsure when he will regain consciousness.”_ Ishimaru bit his lip and waited for the woman to continue.  “ _His leg is fractured in three places, his arm in two, and his shoulder dislocated itself.  He also has severe road rash due to not wearing proper equipment.  It’s clear that he tried to stop the fall with his limbs and, because of that, succeeded in not hurting his head or neck to the extent normally seen in these cases.  We are, however, wheeling him into surgery to piece his leg back together.  Would you please-_ “

 

“I’ll come as fast as I can,” Ishimaru cut the woman off.  She thanked him and then ended the call.

 

* * *

 

 

Putting it mildly, Mondo didn’t look good.  Putting it in terms Mondo himself would use, he looked like absolute shit.  When Taka arrived at the hospital, he’d been told Mondo was still in surgery and that he’d have to wait.  After pins were fixed into Mondo’s leg, his arm had been popped back in, and his arm had been wrapped in a cast, he’d been placed in room 297 B.

 

Ishimaru almost didn’t recognize the figure in the bed.  His face had a large bandage placed on the cheek, his leg had been placed in a sling, holding it up from the bed, and he looked deathly pale.  It took everything in Ishimaru to not burst into tears at the sight.  The heart monitor beeping steadily in the corner helped, but true to the nurse’s words, Mondo was out cold.  They had every expectation that he would wake eventually, but were unsure as to when. 

 

Until then, it was a waiting game.

 

Ishimaru sank into the provided chair next to the bed and wiped at the tears falling down his cheeks.  This was his fault.  This was all his fault.  Mondo clearly hadn’t been comfortable at the party.  The only reason he had gone was to support Ishimaru.  Mondo had even had a panic attack when they had first gotten there, he had _known_ that.  And yet…and yet he still left Mondo to go dance with Yuko.  She was nice enough, and everyone had been telling him to socialize more in the workplace.  But...he didn’t want what she did.

 

What did he want?  For his entire life the answer to that was ‘to become Prime Minister and restore the Ishimaru family name’.  But, looking at Mondo laying in the bed…with all the wires coming out of him…it all seemed so…fleeting.

 

People had been telling him for years to enjoy things, to not work and work and work and then one day die.  He’d dismissed them as being lazy, as not having goals…but maybe they were right.  It didn’t mean he wasn’t going to stop his work ethic, but it put it all in perspective

 

He slowly grasped Mondo’s hand, being careful of the IV needle, and squeezed it.  He’d been so protective of Mondo…but in the end he’d failed to take care of him.  Seeing his kyoudai like this…he was in pain himself.   He cared about Mondo so, so much.  He wanted to be by his side forever…to make sure that Mondo knew someone cared about him, that shared in his joy…in his pain, someone he could trust…someone who lo-

 

Ishimaru blinked and looked up at Mondo’s face as the thought struck him.  Did he…?  Was this…?  Love?  Did he love Mondo?  Was this normal for friends?  Taka had nothing to base it on.  Mondo was his first and one of his only friends.  Did friends feel this protective?  Did they get these stirring feelings in their stomach every time their friend so much as smiled?  Or was all of that indicative of something else?  He’d have to worry about it later, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

 

Mondo’s assigned doctor entered the room and shook hands with Ishimaru.  She introduced herself as Dr. Kotori and went over almost the same things the nurse on the phone did.  Mondo would be bed ridden for the rest of the month, then in a wheelchair while his leg healed.  The plates would be in his leg for the rest of his life, but it shouldn’t hamper with his day-to-day activities.  He’d need physical therapy and to come in frequently to make sure things were healing as they were supposed to, but the surgery went without complication and he would be fine if given enough time.

 

As she went to leave the room, Dr. Kotori paused at the door.  “He’s very lucky,” she remarked.

 

“Ah, yes I suppose he is.  Though I wish he had worn the helmet.”

 

The doctor gave him a look over the rim of her glasses.  “No, I meant he’s lucky to have you.”  Ishimaru was taken aback.  “Most bikers we get in are loners,” she looked over to the bed and hummed.  “It’s nice to know that he has someone who cares about him as much as you obviously do.”  She turned back to Ishimaru and smiled softly.  “You can stay the night tonight, but in the future I’m afraid you’re going to need to visit him during visiting hours.”

 

Ishimaru saw her out and resumed his silent vigil over Mondo from the chair next to the bed.  Lucky to have him?  She didn’t know Mondo would probably be better off without him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	16. The Diamond Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but an important one.  
> Because there's a chapter today there probably won't be one tomorrow. Schedule? I barely even know her.

Everything was white and far too bright, like the afterimage of a camera flash.  Mondo squinted and raised a hand to try and block whatever was causing the unpleasant brightness, but his efforts didn’t appear to change anything.

 

He felt weightless.  He didn’t know where he was, what time it was, or how long he had been out for but, strangely he didn’t care.  He felt safe.  Warm.  If only it wasn’t so damn bright.

 

Against the brightness a blurry figure appeared and as Mondo’s eyes adjusted, the shape came into more detail.  It was a person; one Mondo recognized immediately, and one he had been sure he would never see again.

 

“Bro…”  Mondo whispered, not quite believing what he was seeing, but there he was.  Daiya looked almost exactly as Mondo remembered him, black hair teased up into a fluffy pompadour.  His face was handsome with high cheekbones and serious eyes.  He was even wearing his white Crazy Diamonds jacket, devoid of the blood that had once stained it.

 

Mondo didn’t realize he was crying until he was already breaking down into sobs and running to Daiya.  So, he was dead.  There was no other explanation for it, but when he finally reached Daiya, his big brother grabbed him and used the momentum from running to flip Mondo onto the floor.  Mondo was sure he was dead, but the pain that jolted through his body was very real.

 

Mondo coughed as all of the air pushed out of his lungs and he was looking up into his brother’s face.  Now that he was closer and could actually see Daiya’s face, his brother didn’t look happy to see him _at all_.

 

“You fucking idiot.”  Daiya crossed his arms, and stared down harshly at Mondo.  Mondo laid there for a second, shocked at Daiya’s obvious displeasure.

 

Suddenly, and without getting up, the current leader of the Crazy Diamonds started blubbering even louder.  Daiya had been the only person before Ishimaru that Mondo felt fully comfortable opening up to, and all the hurt and pain of the last 8 years came rushing out in that one moment.  “Damn it,” Mondo choked.  “I’m sorry bro…I’m so so sorry Daiya.”  He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes but it didn’t stop his crying or his breaths coming out in short bursts.  “I never meant to- I didn’t see- And then you- And it’s all my fault you’re _dead!”_ He was practically shouting.  “It’s all my fucking fault!  I’m a _murderer._ ”

 

Daiya sat down next to his shivering form and gently combed his fingers through Mondo’s hair to which Mondo flinched away like he’d been hit.  Daiya’s voice was calm and sympathetic.  “No…God Bro, not that…you know I love you…that was _my_ choice.  I _chose_ to save you.”

 

“But you shouldn’t have!  You should have lived, you’re were so much better than I ever had any dreams of being.  You should be leading the Diamonds or off getting married and making a life for yourself!  Instead you were worrying after me, the little bro who can’t even fucking see his best friend happy without losing his shit.  You should be the one still alive! _I SHOULD BE DEAD!”_ His sobbing only got worse as his volume increased, and Daiya sighed, stilling his hand in his younger brother’s hair.

 

Mondo jumped when Daiya whacked him upside the head.  “That’s why I’m fuckin’ mad at ya!  You can’t keep doing this!”  Mondo’s breathing softened and he pulled his hands away from his eyes to give Daiya a miserable look.  Daiya smiled sadly.  “I saved you because I wanted you to _live_ …not waste away what I gave you by blaming yourself for everything, and certainly not for being who you are.”

 

Mondo took a shaky breath, but Daiya wasn’t done.  “You’re a good guy Mondo… you always have been.  I could take credit for that ‘cause I raised ya, but,” he trailed off.

 

The younger brother grimaced.  “I’m not a fuckin hero or nothing.  I’m a coward.”

 

Daiya considered his words.  “I don’t think so.  You’ve kept the gang together for 8 years, stood up for Michi when those assholes left the gang, helped that little dude -Chihiro I think- get stronger, and,” here Daiya grinned, “you’ve got a bro more responsible than me looking over ya.”  Mondo averted his eyes at the mention of Ishimaru.  “You like him don’t you…like…like like him?” 

 

Upon looking back at his brother, Mondo almost burst into hysterical laughter at the ridiculous eyebrow-wiggle Daiya was giving him.  He grimaced however, like he had tasted something sour, and wiped his nose off on his sleeve, “Eh, fuck off Daiya. It’d never work.  He’s Mr. Rules-and-Prestige, I’m just a grease monkey with no future.  ‘Sides…he likes someone else.”

 

Daiya hummed thoughtfully at this information.  “You mean the girl who tried to jump him and he completely abandoned to run after you?”  Mondo must have look shell-shocked if Daiya’s deep chuckle was anything to go by.

 

Daiya grinned at the reaction and pretended to wipe a tear.  “My dear baby bro is in love~ He’s growing up!  Now remember to use condoms ok Br-”

 

Mondo leaned over and pushed Daiya so he fell over, laying down next to Mondo.  The two spent a moment just enjoying being together again and laughing.  Eventually though, the laughter died down and Daiya got serious again.  “I mean what I said Mondo…”

 

Mondo hummed in acknowledgement.  “I know.”

 

“You’re better than you think you are, and I know your kyoudai agrees with me.”

 

Mondo looked over at his bro, “But it doesn’t matter now, right?  I’m dead.”

 

“Nah, running into oncoming traffic and dying tragically is my thing,” Daiya chuckled.  “You’re not dead.”

 

“Then how…?”

 

“Try not to think about it Lil’ Bro.”

 

Comfortable silence stretched between them.

 

“Y’know…this was the same age I retired,” Daiya remarked, seemingly out of nowhere, and he caught the perplexed look Mondo gave him.  “You’ve done a great job with the gang, but it might be time...Michi’s ready.”

 

“I know.  I was thinking the same thing.  He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”  Daiya nodded, pleased with Mondo’s answer.

 

“I think our time is up too,” with a great heave, Daiya pulled himself up onto his feet and extended a hand to Mondo to help him.  “You’ve gotta go back.”

 

Mondo exhaled.  “Taka’s gonna be fucking pissed with me.”

 

Daiya chuckled.  “Yeah, probably.  You should really start wearing a helmet Bro.”

 

Mondo flipped him off, and Daiya laughed louder.

 

It was Daiya’s laughter that accompanied Mondo back into the world of consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come tell me about how Daiya is the best brother ever @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	17. True Fear and Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Mondo's up!

 

“Surely you have something better to do than to come here day after day Kiyotaka.”

 

“Father, I already told you it isn’t an issue.  We eat lunch together all the time.”

 

Mondo could hear voices as his consciousness came back to him.  They sounded fairly similar, but one held a more youthful energy while the other sounded world-weary.  They continued arguing quietly as Mondo woke up. 

 

The second thing Mondo registered was that he was that everything ached.  He felt like he _had_ actually been hit by the truck, actually no, make that 3 trucks.  He’d been in accidents before, sure.  It came with the territory of being a biker, but never before did he feel this beat-up.  The places radiating the most pain were his shoulder, arm, and leg.  He could also feel the pattering of road rash along his hands and lower legs, but that was something he had grown accustomed to over the years.

 

He groaned and made a face against the aches in his limbs.  Immediately, the two voices in the room stopped.  The beeping in the corner kept going at a steady pace.

 

Slowly, and with great effort, Mondo squinted his eyes open.  He was in a hospital bed; the white-washed walls, curtain, and smell of antiseptic made sure he knew that, but it appeared as if his side of the room had been decorated.

 

Flowers and get-well cards littered the tables and windowsill.  Everything from sunflowers, to daisies, to lilies in every color of the rainbow.  There was even a little plushie Maltese with a red bow and big eyes sitting next to a large bouquet.  For a moment, Mondo was touched.  No one had ever done something like this for him before.

 

A loud gasp struck him out of his appreciation of the flowers.  “Kyoudai!”  Ishimaru was there…he hadn’t abandoned Mondo after Mondo had left the party.  Taka ran over to the side of Mondo’s hospital bed and grabbed his hand.  “How are you feeling? Not in too much pain I hope.  Your doctor said you’re really lucky and that you’ll heal up fine, but I need to know if anything feels off?  Do you need anything to eat?  I can-“

 

“Taka,” Mondo cut Ishimaru off before smiling softly.  Tears welled up in Taka’s eyes and he gave a watery smile.  Ishimaru looked tired, like he’d spent the last couple of nights worrying about something.  But above all, he looked happy.

 

“I…I thought,” Ishimaru started, but was cut off by a cough.  They both turned to the other man in the room, who hadn’t moved from the foot of Mondo’s bed.  For a second, Mondo thought he was seeing double.  The other man looked almost exactly like Taka.  He had the same black hair, same red eyes with thick eyebrows, and same high cheekbones.  However, this man looked aged.  His eyes were tired where Taka’s were bright and his mouth curved down into permanent frown lines.

 

Mondo started to sweat as he put two and two together.  “Kyoudai, I’d like to introduce you to my father, Detective Takaaki Ishimaru.  Father, this is-”

 

“Hello, Mondo Oowada.”  Takaaki said, monotone as his red eyes seemed to stare directly into Mondo’s soul. 

 

There was a very distinct reason Mondo had never met Ishimaru’s dad.  A reason that every time Taka invited Mondo over for dinner, Mondo had come up with an excuse on the spot, hoping his kyoudai would understand.

 

Ishimaru’s dad was a _cop_ , and Mondo was a _gang leader_.

 

Mondo could feel himself shrinking under the elder Ishimaru’s gaze.  “H-hello Ishimaru-san…Sir…”  Of all the fucking people in the world he had a massive crush on it just _had_ to be the kid of a notable detective.

 

Taka didn’t notice the growing tension, and stood, excusing himself.  “Ah, I’m sure Dr. Kotori would like to know that you’re awake.  I’ll go tell her.” 

_NO TAKA, YOU IDIOT, DON’T LEAVE ME HERE WITH HIM!_   But Taka didn’t hear Mondo’s telepathic message, and left the room.

 

Mondo now knew why people called it an ‘elephant in the room’, because the silence that stretched on between him and Ishimaru’s father seemed about as big as two elephants.  Surprisingly, it was the detective that broke the silence.

 

“You do know driving under the influence is a punishable offence, do you not?” 

 

Mondo tensed as if someone had poured ice water down his spine.  “Y-yes, Sir.”

 

Takaaki looked over at the injured biker and seemed to be debating something in his mind.  Mondo sat there uncomfortably, like a science experiment under a microscope.  “Unfortunately, we do not have a record of a DUI for you on the night of the event and no charges have been pressed against you.”

 

Mondo visibly relaxed at that, before another question dawned in his mind.  “Then why,” he paused, swallowing down the intimidation the detective was pouring on him.  “Why did you come see me?”

 

Takaaki huffed out a laugh, and his mouth turned up into a smile.  Mondo hadn’t thought he was capable of such a thing.  “My son.”  He didn’t say anymore to clarify what he meant, instead leveling a glare at Mondo.  “I’m sure you are aware that he cares about you greatly.”

 

Mondo nodded quickly.  Of course he knew that Ishimaru cared about him.  Maybe not in the way Mondo _wanted_ him to, but he still cared. 

 

The detective hummed in acknowledgement of Mondo’s answer.  “You must also, then, be aware of my occupation within the police force.”  He started walking slowly over to Mondo’s bedside.  “Now, I’m not the type of man my father was.  I would never use my position for benefit.  However,” his voice dropped an octave.  “If you _ever_ hurt, or even _think_ about hurting my son with or without your gang antics, there will be no provable record of your existence.  No one, not even your ancestors will find your dead body.  Do I make myself clear?”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Mondo tried to keep his voice from shaking as he answered the detective.  He could see where Ishimaru got the ability to throw kids twice his size into detention.

 

“I’m glad we could come to an agreement,” Takaaki stood back up from where he had loomed over the bed-ridden biker.  “I trust my son’s judgement in whom he chooses as friends, and while I’m willing to tolerate you, don’t think for a second that I like you.”

 

Mondo bit back a chuckle at the bluntness.  Yep.  This was definetly Ishimaru’s dad.  It was at this time that Taka returned with a kind, but harried, looking doctor who introduced herself as Dr. Kotori.

 

“I must be taking my leave then,” Takaaki stated, straightening his shirt as Dr. Kotori launched into an explanation Mondo was only half-listening to.  Before the elder Ishimaru left however, he leaned in to tell Taka something privately.  Whatever it was made Taka smile brightly and hug his father. 

 

* * *

 

 

Once Dr. Kotori had given him instructions of how to take care of his injuries and a basic run-down of which pain medicine cocktail they’d put him on, she too, left to check on other patients, leaving Ishimaru and Mondo together.

 

It should have been an amicable quiet that settled over the pair, but instead the air hung heavy with words not said.  Neither was really sure where to begin and the only noise that broke the silence was the humming of machinery and the steady beeping of Mondo’s heart monitor.

 

Both started speaking at once, but Taka, ever the master of politeness, said, “Ah, you first Mondo.”

 

Mondo took a deep breath.  “God, Taka, I’m a fucking idiot.  I’m so sorry.”

 

“No no no no!”  Ishimaru started protesting.  “Why are you apologizing?  You’re the one in the hospital because I…that is, I…”  Mondo looked up from where he was studying the thread pattern of the hospital linens.  Ishimaru’s red eyes were starting to bubble over with tears.  “I abandoned you!”

 

Mondo’s face softened.  Is that what Taka thought?  “No…Kyoudai.  I…I should have been able to handle it.  I drank too much and-” Images of Yuko passionately kissing Ishimaru flitted unwillingly through his head.  “I fucked up your chances with Yuko…and now-“

 

“I never wanted a _chance_ with her, as you put it,” Ishimaru interrupted loudly.  He frowned, clearly troubled.  “She had come to my office a few weeks ago because another man at work was stalking her and sending her sexually-explicit emails.  I was merely hoping to check and see if she was ok…but she had different intentions.”

 

Mondo knew he should be angry that Yuko had essentially taken advantage of Taka, but he was too busy being over the moon that Taka didn’t return Yuko’s feelings.  “So, you don’t…”  he asked, leaving the question unsaid.

 

“No,” Ishimaru stated easily, though the simplicity seemed to confuse him.  “I am not attracted to her.”

 

If Mondo’s arms weren’t busy being injured, he probably would have given a fist-pump.  “Oh, hey.  Different question,” Mondo started, looking around the room again.  “Where did all these flowers and cards come from?”

 

Taka looked happy for the topic change.  “I told some of my coworkers about the accident, the ones that you met.  They decided to get you that arrangement,” Taka gestured to a combination of lilies and ferns with a small ‘get well soon’ balloon attached.  “That one,” Ishimaru nodded to one filled with roses and carnations, “Is from Tomohiro-san. 

 

“The large one on the windowsill is from the Diamonds,” Taka smiled softly.  “They used the money from the haunted house.  That’s why there’s a skeleton popping out of it.  Takemichi thought you’d laugh at that.”

 

Mondo was touched that the gang had given up their pay to get him something nice.  It made him feel a strange sense of pride.  “What about the dog,” Mondo grinned at the happy-looking plushie.

 

Ishimaru coughed.  “Um…that one is from me.  It’s not much, I got it from the hospital gift shop but I-“  


“I love it,” Mondo grinned at the little dog, both hoping and not hoping that Taka had gotten that he had really meant _I love you_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me dismantling that trope that Ishimaru's dad is an asshole. He is a single dad in heavy debt DOING HIS BEST TO LOVE HIS SON
> 
> Come tell me about these nerds @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	18. What is Love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Ishimaru went home to the apartment after work, and the silence of the abode sunk into him and made an uncomfortable home in his bones.  Normally Mondo was home before him, and it wasn’t unusual for the other to be watching tv or playing some sort of rock music.  Ever since Mondo had been in the hospital, the house had just felt empty.

 

The notion inched its way into his heart, and not for the first time, he wondered just how Mondo had wormed his way into his life.  Just how much _did_ Mondo mean to him?  He remembered what Dr. Kotori had said about Mondo being lucky to have Taka, but really, she had it backwards.  Taka’s life up until high school had been less than ideal.  His family name would have brought bullies just by itself, but for some reason most kids resented him more for his discipline.  He was used to the comments like “hardass” and “Kiyobaka”.  He’d grown up being called that, and hadn’t expected high school to be any different.

 

Then Mondo had come into his life.  And for the first time, Taka had a friend; someone who cared about him as much as he cared about them.  When Taka had…left college…he had expected Mondo to resent him; to turn away any semblance of the friendship they had once had.  They hadn’t spoken in over a year  Instead, the biker had opened his home up to Ishimaru, let him stay, let Taka nag him about leaving his socks in the living room.

 

 _And how had Ishimaru repaid him_?

 

He’d abandoned Mondo a mere hour after he’d had a panic attack.

 

Not that he’d enjoyed what happened between him and Yuko, but that didn’t change the fact that he was mostly responsible for what happened to Mondo.  Every minute Mondo had laid in that hospital bed, unconscious was another stab in Ishimaru’s heart.  It had been three days since the accident.  Three days of agonizing silence.

 

But, the silence wasn’t all bad.  It had given him time to think about things.

 

And tonight, with Mondo waking, he thought he finally had enough courage to look into what he suspected to be true.

 

After heating up some leftovers and taking a shower to wash off the smell of the hospital, Ishimaru brought his laptop and snuggled up into Mondo’s bed.  Ever since the accident, Taka hadn’t been able to leave Mondo’s room.  He knew he should feel guilty for doing so, but he missed Mondo, and Mondo’s room was the only possible way of feeling close to the biker without physically being with him. 

 

Taka noted, as he pulled back the covers that the room was slowly amassing a collection of his own items.  There were now several of Ishimaru’s calligraphy scrolls bundled up in the corner, his armband from college sat on the bureau, and his clothes were slowly being hung up in Mondo’s closet.  It felt homey.

 

He opened the laptop to a picture of Mondo, Chihiro, and himself in the fall of their senior year at Hope’s peak.  They were sitting on a bench sharing coffee.  He thought that maybe he should contact Chihiro soon.  The other boy would probably love to hear that he and Mondo were living together.

 

Ishimaru quickly brought up the internet browser, but when faced with the blank search bar, he froze.  Was he really about to do this…?

 

Before he let himself think about it anymore, Ishimaru typed in ‘ _How do I know if I like someone?’_

The first article to come up was entitled _How to recognize that you have a crush on someone._

It looked fairly promising, so Ishimaru selected the article and began reading.  It appeared to be a self-help website with illustrations and simple instructions.  The first point it illustrated was defining what a crush was and the different types one could experience.  At the top of the list was what was called a “squish” which the website defined as:

_Letting yourself trust someone and become really close to someone, without necessarily having romantic feelings for them, is a really special thing. Wanting to be around a person all the time may just mean that you have gone from friends to_ _best_ _friends._

 

Ishimaru brightened at the definition.  That definitely sounded like what he felt towards Mondo, but weren’t they already best friends?  Maybe there was more information.

 

He scrolled past the “admiration crush” and the “passing crush” as neither seemed really accurate towards his and Mondo’s relationship.  The last one the website listed was what was called a “romantic crush.” 

_Sometimes having a crush on someone really does mean you really, really like them--and in a romantic way at that. Having a romantic crush means that you want to be with that person in more than just a friendly way--you want to be their romantic partner. If you fantasize about kissing, holding hands with, or cuddling with that person, you probably have a romantic crush._

This definition made Ishimaru pause.  He had never considered doing those things with Mondo.  He knew people did them; he’d had to throw many students into detention for PDA, but did _he_ want to do them?

 

Fighting down an embarrassed blush, he allowed himself to imagine these things.  He thought about Mondo’s hand and how good it felt in his own whenever they tried to stick together.  How Mondo’s calloused hands felt heavy and dependable in his own smaller ones.  Ishimaru already enjoyed cuddling Mondo.  Their many nights of sleeping entwined in each other’s arms were enough proof. 

 

But then…the final point.

 

He imagined Mondo being out on the balcony that night with him instead of Yuko.  Of Mondo’s eyes shining brightly under the moonlight…of him turning and taking Ishimaru’s face in his hands and gently…of running his hands through Mondo’s unruly hair as the other leant down and…

 

Ishimaru startled out of his imagination when it started to wander into territory not suitable for the Ultimate Moral Compass.  Of how wonderful Mondo’s much larger hands would feel pressing into his hips and back, of how Ishimaru would want to feel infinitely closer in the other’s arms…

 

He quickly snapped the laptop shut and gently, but hastily, placed it on the dresser.  His heart was hammering in his chest, and he could feel the heat radiating off of his face.  He had never felt this way before…not for anyone.  He never understood the need for students at school to constantly be touching each other and sucking on each other’s faces.  It didn’t appeal to him; he had bigger fish to fry in becoming prime minister.

 

He understood it now.  He understood that the silence was too much to bear, that being alone no longer felt…complete.  And now his body was doing things to him it hadn’t done in years.

 

Understanding quickly gave way to panic.

 

He couldn’t be in love with Mondo.  Such things were still looked down upon in the country and it wouldn’t do wonders to his family name if he were to be…gay.  Maybe he should give Yuko another chance?  Maybe the kiss had just felt off because he hadn’t been expecting it.  Yeah, that had to be it. 

 

In every dream he’d had of being prime minister, he’d had a lovely wife by his side.  Sure, he had never pictured what she might look like other than ‘presentable’, and he’d never really felt anything for any of the nice and ‘presentable’ girls he’d known over the years, nor did he find the idea of being with a woman…in that way…agreeable.

 

But he wouldn’t know if he didn’t try!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits to wikihow for being Taka's source of knowledge.  
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	19. Gay Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taka honey, we've all been there.  
> Early update!!!! WOOOO!

 

Ishimaru went into work the next morning with a manic determination in his eyes and heavy bags under them.  He looked like he hadn’t slept and instead decided to live solely off of coffee.  His hair stuck up in all directions as it had when it was shorter, and his smile was unnaturally wide. When combined with his black hair, pale skin, and red eyes, the impression was quite terrifying.  Most people who saw him as he marched into work cleared a path for him or turned and walked in the other direction. 

 

So, when he rounded the corner into the door of Yuko’s cubicle, the woman’s responding shriek and scattering of papers was more than justified.

 

She paled considerably as they both knelt down to pick up the dropped paperwork.  “Ah, I’m sorry Ishimaru-san, but I haven’t been able to come in for that HR appointment yet.  I um, have all this work to do…so I…”  She bit her lip, clearly troubled.

 

“Oh no!  That’s quite alright!”  Ishimaru’s voice came out more cheerful than normal, unnerving Yuko further.  “I’d just like to talk to you if that’s alright?”  Yuko fidgeted, crinkling the papers with her hands.  “Would you like to g-“

 

“ _I didn’t know you had a boyfriend!  I’m so sorry!”_ Yuko blurted out suddenly, blushing deeply, and Ishimaru’s brain short-circuited.  The smile finally dropped from his face and he looked at Yuko in shock.

 

“I-I don’t…?”

 

Yuko started crying and wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her pantsuit.  “I-I heard you talking about the accident.  And it’s all my fault isn’t it?  He’s mad at you because I kissed you right?”  She sniffed loudly and clenched the papers she had managed to gather.  “I didn’t know!  I just…you were so nice to me and I-I thought that-“

 

She broke off into a whine and Ishimaru immediately became hyper-aware of all the other cubicles around hers, no-doubt listening in to the conversation.  He stood quietly and offered his hand to Yuko, which she took gratefully.  He then gently took the papers from her and placed them on her desk before ushering her away from the prying eyes and into his office, instructing his secretary, the absent-minded but well-meaning Miyako-san to hold all of his calls.

 

Once Yuko had taken a seat, he offered her a box of tissues to wipe her eyes with.  He remained silent as she calmed herself, all traces of his previous determination gone.  Once the sniffles had softened down and her hiccups were subsiding, he spoke.  “Yuko-san…what gave you the impression that…that I-?”

 

She gave him a watery smile.  “It’s ok if you don’t want to tell everyone.  I have a friend, she um…likes girls…and she doesn’t exactly like people broadcasting it…”

 

Taka shook his head, his mouth felt dry.  “No…no I meant…why do you think I have a…a boyfriend?”  His voice cracked on the last word.  “I’m not dating anyone…male or otherwise.”

 

Yuko gave him a confused look, “You’re not?  But…the way he was looking at you…”

 

Taka’s eyebrows shot to his hairline and his heart seemed to stutter.  “ _What?_ ”

 

“The tough-looking guy you were sitting next to,” Yuko clarified.  “My friend Hikari was going to ask him to dance when I asked you, but he looked so scary…”  Her back straightened.  “I’m not offending him or anything, it’s just that he’s very intimidating and he didn’t like me talking to you so he seemed to scowl at me which is very scary and I-“

 

Ishimaru quieted her rambling by holding up his hand.  “Yuko-san…I don’t follow you.”

 

She took a deep breath.  “Before I asked you to dance, he looked at you like one of the men from dramas look at their lovers.  Like you were the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment.  It was actually very romantic…”

 

Taka could feel his face heat up and the rustling in his stomach start back up, but Yuko wasn’t finished.  “But then, when I…um…yeah…to you…he looked completely betrayed!  Like you’d taken his heart and stomped on it until it broke into a million pieces! He was totally jealous!”  Yuko was getting a bit into the description, waving her arms around.  It reminded Taka uneasily of Fukawa and the other girl’s hysterics when talking about her fantasies. 

 

“That’s why I was so concerned!  Because it was that night that he got into the accident, right?  Is he ok? I was going to come ask you earlier and see if I could go apologize to him, but I was worried you…wouldn’t want to see me.”  She looked down at the used tissues in her hands and started worrying one with her fingers.  “I’m sorry, by the way.  I should have asked…”

 

It was a lot for Taka to take in all at once.  Mondo had…looked at him like ‘ _he was the only thing that mattered_ ’?  He tried desperately to make the fluttering in his stomach quiet down. 

           

“He’s ok…”  Yuko looked up from her fingers with a relieved expression.  “He’s just going to be in the hospital for a while.  Nothing too serious though, or so his doctor has assured me.”

 

Yuko smiled, “I’m glad!  I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something had happened to him because of me.  He seems like a nice guy though, even if he did scowl at me a lot.  And then it also gives you two the chance to confess to each other!”

 

Taka gave her a perplexed look.  “What?”

 

She tapped a finger to her lips.  “Well he clearly likes you, and if your reaction to that information was any indication, you like him too!”

 

Ishimaru was reeling.  “No!  No, we’re just best friends, we met in high school and he offered to let me be his roommate.  I’m not- I don’t like-” Yuko raised an eyebrow and grinned.  He huffed and frowned.  “Highly inappropriate to be having this conversation with me as a coworker, isn’t it Yuko-san?”

 

Yuko’s smile softened.  “Yes, I suppose, but I was hoping I was having this conversation with you as a friend.”

 

Ishimaru paused at that.  A friend? He hadn’t made any new friends since his graduation from Hope’s Peak.  Here was Yuko, offering to become his friend.  And even though she _had_ made several _wrong_ assumptions about him, she was a nice-enough woman.  Taka sighed and nodded, “Yes, I’d like that.”

 

Yuko grinned and stood.  “Great!  Now, you’ve got no excuse to miss those staff socials!  I’ll be down there waiting for you!  And I’d still like to apologize to your _roommate_ if that’s ok.”

 

Taka leveled her with a look.  “While I object to your emphasis of the word roommate, I think Mondo would appreciate that.”

 

“Oooooo first-name basis, and no honorifics?  How scandalous~!”  Yuko chuckled behind her hand at Ishimaru’s frustrated look.

 

“We’re not…that’s not…I’m sure,” he paused to take a breath.  “He’s not gay,” Taka stated matter-of-factly.  “What you think you saw must have been a mistake.  The lights were fairly low in the hall that night.”  


Yuko paused, and her face dropped.  Her eyes shined with a sad understanding.  “Ah…so that’s it.  I see.”  She blinked and was back to her bubbly self.  “Well then, I believe it’s lunch time.  Shall we?”

 

Ishimaru smiled and shook his head.  “No, I’m sorry Yuko-san.  I promised to eat lunch with him in the hospital today.  He gets lonely, and when he gets lonely he gets upset, and quite frankly I don’t want to break up another fight with him and his nurse again today.”

 

Yuko laughed at that and Ishimaru managed to smile despite the memory of Mondo yelling “She’s trying to kill me Kyoudai! I swear!”

 

“Well you better get going then.”  With one last smile and a nod for which the meaning was lost on Ishimaru, Yuko turned and walked out of his office.  Ishimaru was comforted knowing that he hadn’t been wrong about Yuko.  She really was a nice girl and would be a nice friend.

 

It really was too bad he couldn’t fathom, or even consider _wanting_ to be more to her.  Just the idea of being with her in that way made his stomach flip, and not in the good way it did when he thought about Mondo.  No…he couldn’t bring himself to date Yuko.

 

What was wrong with him?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: We are All Yuko
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr   
> (I respond to all messages, but tumblr hates me....)


	20. Old Friends New Sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you to everyone who comments and leaves Kudos. Gosh you guys have said so many nice things. I never really expected people to like my silly lil' fic. I've always loved writing but I hadn't really written for a long time before this fic. This fic was me rediscovering my love of writing and telling stories, and it has made me so much happier for writing it. It means the world to me that you guys really like it. Thank you.

 

Mondo was bored. 

 

No, he was _beyond_ bored. 

 

He had thought that maybe when he got a roommate, he’d at least have someone to talk to but _noooo_.  The guy they wheeled in bright and early at 6 that morning had his face all bandaged up and was still unconscious.

 

Mondo’s nurse was a nightmare.  He got that she had trained for this and he hadn’t but did she have to be so snippy about it?  When he asked her if he could at least watch some TV, she went on this rant about “kids his age” and that “maybe some silence would make him think about his life choices.”  Fuckin’ hag.

 

The absolute highlights of his days were when Taka came to visit him.  Every day at lunch, and sometimes after work, Taka would come in and eat with Mondo.  They’d talk about how things were going for them as they didn’t see each other at home anymore. 

 

So, when the distinctive _tak tak tak_ of footsteps could be heard down the hallway, Mondo brightened immediately.  He sat up as straight as he could in the hospital bed with one leg in a suspended sling, and tried to comb his fingers through his greasy hair.  He probably looked like shit, why couldn’t he-

 

All thoughts in his head froze when the visitor popped his head in the room.  Instead of the expected black hair and red eyes, Mondo saw chestnut hair and big golden eyes.  He would admit he was a little disappointed, but only for a minute. 

 

“Chi!”  The programmer smiled widely and hurried into the room.

 

“Ah, you’re up!”  Chihiro was, for lack of a better term, a beanpole.  He’d grown substantially during high school, and apparently didn’t stop once they left.  It was almost like his body was making up for lost time.  He folded himself into the chair by Mondo’s bedside.  “How are you feeling?”

 

“Like total shit,” Mondo answered bluntly, to which Chihiro laughed brightly.

 

“Taka told me you’d be cranky.”

 

“You’ve talked to Taka?”

 

Chihiro nodded, “He’s the one that told everyone you were in an accident.  He called up the whole 78th class and some of class 77 too.”  Chihiro inclined his head to the cards on the nightstand that Mondo had yet to open.  “My letter is in there somewhere.”

 

Mondo couldn’t help but smile at the stack of brightly-colored envelopes.  He already knew Ishimaru had gone to extreme lengths to make him feel better, but getting in touch with their old classmates? 

 

“So Chi, how y’ve been?  The big bad industry treating you well?  Anyone you need me to come beat up?”

 

They spent the next hour discussing their lives since high school.  Chihiro was still working for the company that hired him out of high school.  He was climbing the ranks and was currently the head programmer on a game that would be released in a few years.  A lot of what Chi was saying was technical jargon that went right over Mondo’s head, but seeing Chihiro so happy was worth how stupid he felt.  He told Chihiro about his practice with carpentry and how when he was on break at the garage, he’d whittle.  Chihiro seemed particularly happy about that, which made sense.  Back in high school before he’d become friends with Chi before Taka, and Chi had been present to some of Mondo’s…less-than-stellar tantrums over blocks of wood that were supposed to be tigers but instead looked like mini benches.

 

“So why are you even here anyway,” Chihiro looked around the room.  “I tried asking Taka but he didn’t tell me much.  It was back before you woke up so he was pretty down.”

 

Mondo paused for a minute, trying to come up with an excuse as to why he recklessly left Taka at a party, drove under the influence, and almost crashed head-first into an oncoming truck.  “I ah…had an argument with Taka, and I kinda lost it.  Next thing I know I’m on the wrong side of the road about to be turned into butter, and then I woke up here.”

 

Chihiro gave him a look.  Even if Chihiro did identify as a man, he was the type of man to not shy away from his feminine attributes.  This particular look he was leveling Mondo with at the moment was what Mondo and Leon used to refer to as the ‘disappointed Mom’.  “And you didn’t think to talk it out with him?”

 

“I couldn’t,” Mondo defended.  “He was…busy.”

 

He could tell Chihiro wasn’t deterred.  The kid was always too determined for his own good, and wasn’t often intimidated when he decided he wanted something.  “Too busy to talk to you?  You know Taka wouldn’t-“

 

“He was with a girl from the office, alright?”  Mondo snapped and turned so Chihiro couldn’t see the way his face flushed just under the surface.  When Chihiro didn’t say anything, Mondo turned and saw an expression he couldn’t name on Chihiro’s face.

 

“Oh…my...God…”  Chihiro’s face broke out into a huge grin.

 

Mondo grimaced in confusion at Chihiro.  “W-what…?”

 

“I’ve got to call Leon, oh my God.  He’s going to lose it.”

 

“Chi, what the fuck are you talking about?”  Mondo raised an eyebrow as Chihiro began digging through his bag.

 

Chihiro found his phone, no doubt tricked out with his own programs to maximize efficiency, and started texting like a maniac.  Whatever he was typing, he hit sent and clasped his hands together.  “You _do_ like Taka!”

 

“ _What?!_ ”  Had Mondo had more mobility in his limbs, he would have probably defensively backed up from Chihiro.  “N-no I don’t!  Where th’fuck did y’ pull that idea out of? Yer ass?”  Mondo knew the denial was a losing battle.  His accent had come back, his voice was starting to climb in volume, and he could feel the warmth spreading across his cheeks and down his neck.

 

Chihiro raised an eyebrow and waited for Mondo to stop babbling like an idiot.  “Mondo, our entire class literally has been keeping a betting pool since the first year of high school for when you guys were going to get together.  I’m pretty sure Hifumi thought you guys were already dating.”

 

Mondo didn’t know exactly what to do with that information.  First his gang, now his old classmates; how many people were betting on his love life?

 

“But _I_ only realized it about a month ago!”  Chihiro’s smile only got wider.  “Damn it, I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.”  Chihiro’s phone pinged and when he looked down at it, the programmer chuckled.  “What?”

 

“Oh nothing,” Chihiro smiled and put his phone back into his bag.  “Just that you’re going to get another visitor in a couple of days.”

 

Mondo groaned loudly and threw his head back onto the pillow.  “C’mon Chi, don’t go tellin’ people.”

 

Chihiro frowned.  “Mondo, there’s nothing wrong with being gay.”

“I _know_ that!”  Mondo yelled at the ceiling.  “And for the record, I think I’m bi.”  In his peripheral vision, Chihiro nodded, listening.  “It’s just…”  Mondo sighed and slumped in his bed a bit.  “I can’t be with him.”

 

“Why not,” Chihiro asked, a little frustrated.

 

“Well…I mean he wants to be prime minister, right?  The public isn’t gonna vote for a gay prime minister, let alone one dating the former leader of a notorious biker gang.  Plus,” Mondo started counting on his fingers.  “I don’t even know if he likes guys, I don’t even know if he likes _me_ , and his dad’s a cop.”

 

Chihiro was silent for a moment, considering the points Mondo brought up.  “What do _you_ want Mondo.  You keep telling me what _you think_ Taka wants, but what do _you_ want?”  Mondo looked away, grimacing.  “You’re allowed to be selfish.”

 

It was another minute before Mondo replied.  “I want to be with Taka.  I want to wake up next to him and support him in all his goals.  I want to be there for him, just as I know he always is for me.  I want to be the one he comes home to at the end of the day, and the one he falls asleep next to.  I don’t want some _girl_ on his arm.”  He reflected on his words before he caught sight of Chihiro with tears in his eyes and a smile.  “What?”

 

“You’ve got it bad.”  Chihiro laughed as Mondo cussed him out.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leon and Chihiro, original founders of the Ishimondo fanclub. Celeste is currently the leader in the bet though...  
> Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	21. Shitty Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm like an update machine!
> 
> I'll be honest though, this chapter was really hard to pin down. Leon's a pretty weird character to write for, at least for me anyway.

 

 

Ishimaru was shocked.  When he went to the hospital at the end of the week, that it was busier than he’d ever seen it.  News vans were parked outside, and there was hardly an empty space in the lot.  Upon entering the hospital, crowds of people lined the waiting rooms, bothering the nurses and generally causing an uproar.

 

Taka managed to find a nurse he recognized in the chaos.  “What’s going on,” he yelled over the din.  “Is there an emergency?  Did something happen?”

 

The nurse he was speaking to rolled her eyes.  “Hardly.”  She sounded annoyed.  “If they were injured, we’d at least be able to do something.”

 

“Then wha-“ Taka was cut off by a girl next to him shrieking.

 

“Look!  There they are!”  Suddenly, the crowd was moving again, and Ishimaru was pushed along with them.  Bright lights flashed around the room as press cameras went off.  The crowd apparently saw whomever they were looking for and cheered.

 

He tried to stretch over the crowd to see what all the fuss was, but found he was too short.  As politely as possible, Ishimaru pushed through the crowd of people, apologizing at every turn.  He didn’t get very far before a woman’s voice called out to him.  “Oh!  Taka, hey over here!”

 

Several people in the crowd turned to look at him.

 

“Who’s he?”

 

“You idiot, that’s Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the _Ultimate Moral Compass_.  They went to school together.”

 

“Ohhh, I thought he’d be taller.”

 

Suddenly, Ishimaru felt like he was in a fishbowl.  He wasn’t what these people thought he was at all.  He wasn’t successful.  He was just a modest businessman.

 

He didn’t have time to ruminate on his inadequacy as the crowd parted, revealing two familiar faces. 

 

“Taka!”  The woman launched herself at him and caught him in a hug, and Ishimaru was struck with the fact that she used the same shampoo even after all these years.  Maybe it was an advertising deal.

 

Sayaka let him go with a cheerful smile.  “It’s so good to see you again!”  She brushed some imaginary lint off of his sweater.  “You grew your hair out!  I like it!”  Sayaka had grown since high school.  The girlish nature of her face had given way to a mature but sophisticated woman, but her eyes still sparkled with cheerfulness.

 

The man behind her reached out and playfully punched Ishimaru in the shoulder.  “Heya, nerd.”  Leon on the other hand hadn’t changed in the slightest.  He still tried to embody the ‘punk rocker’ look, but Taka supposed that now that he had made a successful album, it wasn’t just hopeful thinking.  If anything, it appeared that Leon had gotten even _more_ piercings.  And was that…eyeliner?  Taka’s eye twitched.

 

“What are you two doing here?”  Taka turned to Sayaka.

 

“We have a concert tonight in this city,” Sayaka replied.  “We heard from Chihiro that this was where Mondo was, and Leon wanted to stop in to see him.” 

 

She turned to address a nearby journalist.  “And I thought it’d be a lovely opportunity to see some of our fans that are being treated here!”

 

Sayaka was naturally kind, but she was clearly thinking that good press wouldn’t hurt.  However, Leon?  He wasn’t really the kind to do something out of the kindness of his heart unless there was something in it for him.  He knew Mondo and Leon were good friends back in high school but…

 

“Alright then babe, I think Taka can take me from here.” Leon kissed Sayaka on the forehead, to which the fans surrounding them screeched.  Large men in suits quickly moved in-between the hysterical crowd and the three former-classmates, effectively blocking them off from the chaos.  Ishimaru took a sigh of relief.  Leon and Taka saw Sayaka off to the children’s ward, before continuing off to the section Mondo was staying in.

           

“So, uh,” Taka started, hoping to break the silence between himself and Leon.  “You and Maizono-san?”

 

Leon grinned like the Cheshire cat.  “Yeah!  She’s great.  Got me the gig with her studio and then decides to go out with me.  It started out as a publicity stunt, but…”  Taka saw something flash in Leon’s blue eyes.   “I’m so fucking lucky.”  Ishimaru smiled despite the cursing.  “Hey, what about you!  Got anyone you’ve got your eyes on?”

 

Ishimaru jumped as Mondo’s smile crossed his mind.  “N-no!  I’ve been too busy!”

 

Leon gave him a look.  “Look Ishimaru, you’ve never been great at lying.  That stick is too far up your ass.”

 

“I’m not lying!  Like I would ever do such a thing.”  Ishimaru noticed his voice had risen to a volume not appropriate in a hospital.  “Besides even if I did, I’m far too busy to entertain such notions.”

 

“Oh, of course,” Leon nodded, but Ishimaru got the impression the other man was patronizing him.  “Hey, this is it, right?”  Leon stopped in front of the door to Mondo’s room, and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.  “If ya wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk to him alone.”

 

“But I,”

 

“Great!” Leon cut him off, entering the room.  “You can go check on Sayaka if you want!”  He closed the door in Ishimaru’s face as the former-hall monitor sputtered, lost for words.

 

* * *

 

            Mondo woke up through his pain-med haze to the sound of muffled shouting and low chuckling.  Someone ducked into his side of the room.  “Knock knock, Sleeping Beauty.”  That voice could only be one person.  Well, Chihiro had warned him.

 

He groaned and leaned back into his pillow.  “Fuck you too Kuwata.”

 

The red-head laughed and with the jangling of the chains on his pants, came over to sit in the chair by Mondo’s bed.  “Chi was right, who shit in _your_ cereal this morning?” 

 

Mondo gave him a deadpan look, before the humor was broken by a smile.  “Well anyway, it’s good to see your shitty personality hasn’t changed.”

 

Leon gasped and pressed a hand to his chest.  “I’m flattered.  But I didn’t come all this way to have you compliment me.”

Mondo grimaced.  “Look whatever Chi told you I don’t-“

 

“You like Taka,” Leon shrugged.  “Dunno why you’re trying to deny it.  It’s pretty obvious.  I’m happy for you dude.”

 

Mondo sighed deeply.  “So what, you’re here to make fun of me or somethin’?  I may be on three different meds but I could still kick your ass.”

 

Leon smiled and shook his head.  “Nah, I’m here to give you some advice about _the art of seduction~.”_  

 

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”  Mondo couldn’t stop laughing.  Leon was here because he thought Mondo needed help _seducing Taka_?  “Like you were any better than I was in high school?”

 

“Hey man, girls didn’t run at the sight of me.”  Leon raised an eyebrow.  “Besides, I’m a man who’s spoken-for now.  Have the country’s most-wanted girl on my arm.”

 

Mondo hummed.  He kept up with the media more than Taka did.  He already knew that Leon and Sayaka were a thing…and they seemed pretty happy together...

 

“...Fine.”  Mondo finally spat out, reluctantly.  He wasn't exactly experienced in the dating pool, maybe a guy known for being a player, like Leon, would be of some use.

 

“Great,” Leon punched the air with his fist.  “Then let the lesson begin!  What do you like about the nerd?”

 

“Um,” Mondo blushed.  “Taka sees the best in me.  He’s constantly driving me to become better.  He understands what a man’s promise is and-“

 

Leon cut him off, holding up a hand.  “What sort of lovey-dovey shit is this?  No, man I’m talking about _physically_.  Like what about him gets your dick hard?”

 

Mondo was stunned.  “ _What?_ ”

 

But Leon wasn’t listening.  “It’s important to compliment their appearance, and state your intentions at the beginning.  Never underestimate the use of dirty talk.”

 

“That’s really how you got Sayaka, the Ultimate Idol, to date you,” Mondo asked incredulously.  He’d always thought of Sayaka as a rather respectable young woman.  Whether that was just because she had to be a good role model for young girls or that's just how she was, he didn't know.  But regardless, he couldn’t imagine her taking well to Leon’s come-ons.

 

“Uh,” Leon looked over to the side.  “Not really.  She asked me out first…B-but that doesn’t matter!"  Leon smacked the armrest.  "You’ve still got to tell ‘em they’ve got a nice ass right?”

 

Mondo was about to retort and tell Leon off for being an idiot, but an image of Taka crossed his mind.  He thought about it…about how Taka’s ass really _did_ look nice.  About how his pants always seemed to hug it just right, and how _soft_ it would feel if Mondo dug his hands into it…

 

Shit.

 

“Yeah…I guess.”  Mondo conceded to Leon’s point.

 

“Good, then I’ve got a lot more to teach you.”

 

Mondo couldn’t wait until visiting hours ended.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to every "dick hard Oowada" in the comments. You know who you are.
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	22. Clean, But Not Really

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back baby! 
> 
> Sorry for the brief hiatus. Everything hit me at once. I had two midterms, a project, and tech week for a play all at once. On top of all of that, I got sick.
> 
> But we're back!
> 
> NSFW warning for after the cut until the end. And this time I mean it. Before, these warnings were for kind-of NSFW, this time there is no "kind-of".

Mondo was ready to come home the first week of December.  Getting him into the wheelchair and pushing him through the slippery snow that had started to fall was a hassle, but it was worth it to see Mondo sigh deeply in relief when they finally got back to the apartment.

 

“Did ya actually clean the place while I was gone?”  Mondo noted that every surface seemed to be devoid of dust, the dishes were stacked neatly on the counter, and it looked like the carpet had actually been deep-cleaned.

 

“Ah, yes.”  Ishimaru looked away.  “I have a tendency to stress-clean.”

 

“Yeah…I remember.”  Mondo grinned up at him.  “Your dorm was always spotless during exams.  I dared Leon to eat off the floor in there our Junior year.”

 

Ishimaru frowned, but there was a touch of humor in his eyes.  “Is that why I stepped in, what appeared to be, miso when I got back one day?”

 

“Yeah probably,” Mondo laughed despite the ache in his ribs.

 

“Mondo,” Ishimaru scolded, “It’s not funny!  Those were my favorite boots!  Do you know how long it took to get the noodles out of the soles?”

           

“Ah, you’re laughing though.”

 

“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Taka bit out, trying desperately not to smile.

 

Mondo, mercifully, let the subject drop.  “Hey, speakin’ of cleanin’…I could really use a bath.”  He’d always taken so much pride in his hair.  It felt just wrong for it to be this unkempt.  He may be a gang member, but he did have standards.

 

“I agree…Alright then, one bath coming up.”

 

After stopping in the kitchen to grab a garbage bag for Mondo’s leg and a shopping bag for his arm, Ishimaru wheeled Mondo into the bathroom.  Taka had even tidied up Mondo’s impressive assortment of hair care products, sorting them by height and type.

 

He was startled out of his appreciation for Ishimaru’s organization by warm firm fingers inching up under his shirt.  “Wh-what are you doing?”  Mondo managed to squeak out as Taka’s fingers pulled at the shirt.

 

Taka tilted his head to the side, perplexed.  “You can’t bathe in your clothes Kyoudai.”

 

“I’m a grown-ass man!  I can take off my own clothes!”  Mondo’s volume was beginning to climb as Ishimaru’s fingers slid up his spine.

 

Taka sighed, frustrated.  “Dr. Kotori told you to not move your shoulder too much and your other arm is in a cast.”  Mondo grumbled out something that sounded like ‘doesn’t hurt that bad’ but shut up quickly when Taka leveled him with a glare. 

           

Avoiding eye contact, Mondo let Taka undress him.  The act wasn’t romantic in the least, but it still felt incredibly intimate.  Mondo had never felt this weak in front of anyone, but he found he didn’t mind if it was with Taka.  He felt safe and comfortable. 

 

Well, at least he felt comfortable until Taka _also_ started stripping.  “ _Why the hell are YOU getting naked?!”_  

 

It could have been he was just imagining things, but Mondo could have sworn pink was starting to creep up Taka’s neck.  “Well, if you can’t lift your arms, you can’t wash yourself properly.  So I…”  He shifted out of his pants and if he said anything else, Mondo didn’t catch it.  He was too busy chanting to himself: _don’t get a boner don’t make this weird don’t get a boner_.

 

Ishimaru gently, more gently than two stark-naked men about to take a bath should have been, lifted Mondo to his feet and assisted him into the bath.  He softly lowered the biker into the water, being careful of the bags around his arm and leg, then climbed in behind him so Mondo was sitting between Taka’s legs.

 

It was like torture for Mondo, every shift, every move Ishimaru made, his bare skin brushed up against Mondo.  “Are you ok, Kyoudai? You’re very tense.”  _Yeah no shit_.  “I promise your cast will not get wet.”

Taka’s hands poured water over Mondo’s head, taking care not to get it into his eyes, before he leant over to retrieve the shampoo from the system he’d set up on the side of the tub.  “Kyoudai, I’m going to need you to lean back for this.  You are taller than me and I don’t want to get the soap in your eyes.”

 

Awkwardly, and with a lot of slipping courtesy of the plastic bags, Mondo leaned into Ishimaru so his head was level with Taka’s sternum.  From this angle, he was forced to look up into Ishimaru’s face.  The other was far too preoccupied to notice the way Mondo’s breath stopped.  Taka looked beautiful.  The water clung to his skin like diamonds on snow, and his eyes, though determined were soft.  He was looking at Mondo in a way that Mondo himself had never seen.

 

Then Ishimaru started washing Mondo’s hair, and Mondo felt all of the tension seep out of his body.  Taka’s hands were delicate but firm, working the shampoo into Mondo’s hair and simultaneously giving the other man a scalp massage.  Mondo sighed contentedly and Taka smiled.  “Feeling better?”

 

“Fuck yeah.”  Mondo groaned lowly and closed his eyes as Taka’s fingers pressed into where his head met his neck.  “Don’t stop.  Please.”  It came out more whiny than Mondo intended.

 

Taka’s fingers immediately came to a halt, and Mondo opened his eyes to see Ishimaru’s eyes blown wide in surprise.  Mondo, not realizing what was wrong, complained, “Hey, what did I just tell you?”

 

“O-oh, I’m sorry Kyoudai.”  Ishimaru shifted clumsily and continued.  Mondo relaxed into the hands again.

 

From there, Ishimaru worked in the conditioner and another mousse that kept Mondo’s dyed hair healthy.  Taka was now jabbering on about how work was going and who was working on what project.  Normally, Mondo would be annoyed, or at the very least bored, with the discussion, but he had decided that as long as Taka kept working his hands through Mondo’s hair, Mondo didn’t particularly care what Taka was talking about.

 

It was after Ishimaru finished washing Mondo’s back that they hit a road block.  “Ok, Kyoudai.  I’m going to need you to turn so I can get your front.”

 

“Can’t ‘cha just get out and get back in?  I’d probably slip and crack my head open with this,” he gestured to his bag-clad leg.  Ishimaru sighed and acquiesced, getting out and going around to Mondo’s front.  However, the issue, as neither of them had realized up until that point, was that Mondo’s leg had to stay out of the water.  Meaning, if Ishimaru was going to successfully wash down Mondo’s face and chest, he was going to have to practically sit in Mondo’s lap…with both of them naked.

 

The two men seemed to realize it at the same time.

 

“I can take it from here,” Mondo screeched.

 

Taka answered quickly, and almost as loudly, “Yes!  I’m sure that would be for the best I’m sure you wouldn’t strain yourself!”  Unceremoniously, Ishimaru threw the washcloth into Mondo’s face and made a hasty retreat, sopping wet and stark naked, picking up a towel as an afterthought. 

 

“When you’re done, I will be in my room!  Just scream my name!  I-I mean, call...for me!”

 

           

“Yep,” Mondo’s voice cracked.  “Of course!” There was the sound of Ishimaru’s door slamming shut, and Mondo sighed deeply.

 

* * *

 

 

 Taka wasn’t an idiot, or ignorant to these things, though many people believed he was.  He knew this was a natural reaction to becoming aroused…if only it wasn’t so uncomfortable.

 

He swore he was just trying to help Mondo, but then Mondo had started making these _noises_ and they’d almost got into that _very compromising_ position.  Ishimaru pressed a hand to his face as his dick throbbed against the towel he’d wrapped around his waist.  He really needed to stop thinking about it.

 

He’d been hoping that the whole _attraction-to-Mondo_ thing was really just a “squish”, or if it really was romantic, it was just a passing whim.  But the more he had felt Mondo’s skin under his fingers, the way Mondo’s face had contorted in pleasure as Taka had taken care of Mondo’s hair, and the _sighs_ and _groans_.

 

He groaned himself as the tip of his cock brushed against the coarse fabric of the towel.  He needed to take care of this before he went back to help Mondo.  He didn’t need Mondo knowing _his best bro_ was hard after seeing him naked.

 

Steeling himself, he gingerly reached under the towel and brushed his fingers over the head, sucking in a sharp breath when it was far more sensitive than it ever had been when he’d done this before.  But before, he’d been doing it to get rid of it.  During puberty, they’d just pop up and become distracting during his studies.  This time, it wasn’t random.  There was a _very_ handsome, _very_ naked image in his head fueling him as he stroked.

 

At the other end of the hall, Mondo was having the same problem.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3c


	23. Transfer of Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you follow my tumblr, you'll know that my boyfriend of 2 years recently broke up with me. It came out of nowhere and threw me off. I've been kind of a mess for the past couple days. So, apologies for the late update, but here it is!

Rowdy hoots and hollers echoed down the alley from the bar nestled between two lamp posts.  It was fully winter now as fluffy white flakes fell from the sky to add to the growing blanket.  If it made driving difficult, it made pushing a large wheelchair-bound biker near impossible.  But Taka wasn’t about to complain.  This was Mondo’s first time out of the house since his return from the hospital two weeks ago.

 

Michi had come over a couple of times during that interim, giving Mondo updates about the gang and changes in turf.  On his last visit, Michi had mentioned that the annual Crazy Diamonds Christmas Party would be happening that weekend.  He asked Mondo if he felt up to coming, to which Mondo declared that he’d either be there, or be dead.

 

The Christmas Party was always a great time.  Around the holidays, all the rival gangs toned down the animosity and held a semi-truce; citing good will and all that.  Mostly, it was because all of them were too hammered from celebratory drinking to do much of anything.

 

Most of the gang came from, as Mondo put it, ‘shitty folks’, so the gang Christmas Party was the only form of holiday cheer some of them got.  It was a time for them to just let everything go and enjoy themselves.

 

When Ishimaru and Mondo entered the bar, they were greeted by loud cheers and calls.  Several of the gang raised their glasses in cheers. 

 

“Heya Boss!” 

 

“Long time no see, ya dumbass!” 

 

“How’s that chair treatin’ ya? I could prob’ly outfit it with flames if ya want!”

 

Mondo smiled back, but Taka noticed there was a melancholy twinge to his smile.

 

“Hey, you two!”  Michi made his way through the crowd of gangsters, one hand clutching a full beer glass, the other wrapped around the waist of a rather handsome boy with red hair.  Michi was grinning widely, and though Ishimaru had known the boy for a while, he didn’t think he’d ever seen the younger look this happy.  His face was practically glowing.  “Glad you could make it, Boss!  You too Ishi,” Michi winked at him, “thanks for lugging his fat ass here.”

 

“Fuck you, Michi.”

 

Michi just laughed at Mondo’s ire, and the boy next to him chuckled.  “Oh Roka,” Michi seemed to remember something, “This is Mondo, and the guy next to him with the sweater is his…”  Michi paused and next to Taka, Mondo tensed in his wheelchair.  “Kyoudai, Ishi” Michi finished lamely.

 

There was a beat of awkwardness, during which understanding and recognition dawned in Roka’s eyes, before Michi continued.  “Boss, Ishi, this is my uh…”  Michi’s ears flushed red and he looked over to Roka before smiling softly under his blush.  “My boyfriend.”

 

Roka extended a hand.  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.  My darling,” Michi flushed even more and hid his face in Roka’s neck, “has told me so much about both of you.  Only good things, I promise!”

 

Taka took his hand and shook it.  “Likewise!  Takemichi-kun must love you a great deal.”

 

Roka laughed as Michi grumbled, “Ishi shut uuuup.”

 

Mondo was next to shake Roka’s hand, and despite his injuries, did so firmly.  “Nice to meet you.  Michi’s like my little bro.  If you hurt him, I’ll end you, yadda yadda, you know the drill” Mondo grinned and Roka nodded.

 

“I wouldn’t dream of hurting my darling.”

 

“Roka nooo, not in front of the Boss.”  Michi squeezed Roka closer to his side to which the other laughed good-naturedly.  Taka was caught suddenly with the thought that this could be him and Mondo.  They could be this happy. 

 

But would he be happier than being Prime Minister?

 

“Alright, who’s gonna get me a drink?  I could use one right about now,” Mondo remarked, looking around the bar at all of the garland the gang had hung up and the Christmas tree in the corner completely covered in little motorcycle ornaments.

 

“Kyoudai,” Ishimaru gasped, scandalized.  “You know you can’t have alcohol with the medication you’re on!  And need I remind you what happened the last time you drank?”

 

Mondo sighed, “Yeah I remember.  Can’t fault me for at least trying right?”  Taka leveled an unimpressed look at him. 

 

“Hey Taka,” Michi piped up.  “You want a drink?  Boss can’t because we don’t want him getting more fucked over than he already is, but it’s not really a problem for you right?  You guys took the train here.”

 

“No, thank you.”  Ishimaru bowed.  “I’m not very inclined towards drinking.”

 

“Aw c’mon Ishi! It’s the holidays!”  Michi whined.  “And besides, you wouldn’t be breaking any rules.  You’re well over 20!”

 

“Only by three years,” Taka muttered to himself.

 

“C’mon just one,” Michi grinned, “I’ll have Teruyuki make you something good.”

 

“Fine,” Ishimaru finally conceded.  “But only one, and only for celebratory purposes.”

 

* * *

 

 

Ishimaru was halfway through his second cocktail when Mondo grabbed the mic from the karaoke stand.

 

“Merry Christmas.”  The gang members crammed into the rather small bar all held up their drinks and cheered uproariously.  “I’ll let you fuckers get back to your celebratin’ but I’ve got something to say first.”  Mondo cleared his throat.

 

“When I was a kid, my bro and I were runnin from our old man.  We’d go from place to place hopin’ to find someplace to call home.”  Ishimaru set down his glass and looked up at Mondo on the stage.  He had known Mondo hadn’t had the happiest or easiest of childhoods, their shared family struggles were a part of what brought them together.

 

“Then, when Daiya was about 16, he got his first bike.  He fuckin loved that bike.  It was a Z750, purple, with gold detailing and pipes that you could hear from across the city.”  He smiled softly.  “When I was 14, I crashed it.  Wrapped it around a telephone pole.  He was mad, sure; chased me down the road with a piece of the tail-light.  I wanted to be like him so much.  My bro was my idol.” 

 

Mondo paused and took a shaky breath; older members of the gang nodded knowingly.  “But I’m not Daiya.  I’ve made shitty mistakes and lost it more times than I think Michi’d like to count.”  Laughter.  “I can only hope that I’ve tried to lead this gang how my bro would’ve wanted it.”  Murmurs started swirling among the men gathered in the bar.  “You guys are the home my bro and I wanted.  And it’s one we all made ourselves.”

 

Several cheers went up and drinks were downed, but Mondo held up a hand to quiet them.  “Yeah,” he smiled wistfully, “S’pretty great, right?”  His grip tightened on the microphone and he looked out over the crowd.  “But it’s time for me to move on, to pass this home onto someone new.”

 

The gang fell silent.

 

Mondo nodded.  “As of the new year, I’ll be stepping down as the head of the Crazy Diamonds.  I’ve already stayed longer than I originally thought, but-“  Here, he grinned out at the crowd, locking eyes with Michi, “I know I’m leaving you guys in good hands.”

 

“Boss, you don’t mean-?”  Michi’s eyes widened as the implications caught up to him.

 

“I, Mondo Oowada, officially retire as leader of the Crazy Diamonds and pass the mantle of leader to Takemichi Yukimaru.  Don’t fuckin’ let me down Michi or I’ll come back and kick your ass.”

 

The crowd was silent for a moment, before it erupted in sound.  All the gang members applauded as Mondo passed the microphone off, then swarmed Michi, congratulating him with claps on the back and rustling his hair.

 

Ishimaru went up to the stage to help wheel Mondo off the ramp.  When Mondo caught sight of him between all the gang members wishing him luck, he smiled brightly.  “Kyoudai, are you crying?”

 

“So what if I am,” Taka yelled indignantly.  The remaining members around Mondo went to go cheer on Michi, leaving Taka and Mondo in their own isolated bubble in a sea of people.

 

“That was really well-done,” Taka said softly, placing a hand on Mondo’s one that wasn’t in a cast.  Tears were now freely streaming down his face.  “I’m proud of you, Mondo.”

 

Mondo didn’t try to hide his blush this time and instead smiled up at Taka.  “Thanks, Kiyotaka.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me about how cute these two are @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	24. Lightweight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *claws my way out of the depths of midterms and writer's block*
> 
> I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE
> 
> I'm sorry for the wait, a lot of stuff happened. I had midterms and had to re-write a chapter because I didn't want the plot going that way. But here we go! Maybe now I'll be back on track....  
> ....maybe.
> 
> Trigger warning for this chapter! Taka's got that bad anxiety yo.

 

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was _not_ drunk.  Kiyotaka Ishimaru did not _get_ drunk.  He just felt…light…as if all of his inhibitions and responsibilities no longer held him down.  Was this how other people felt?  This carefree?  And why was the room tilting?

 

There were people surrounding him, and someone was singing really badly on stage.  Where was Mondo?  He had some things to say to him.  He needed to tell Mondo how sexy he was _right now._   He needed to tell him that he wanted Mondo to pick him up in his big…strong…warm arms…and press him against the wall of the bar.  Needed his hot mouth trailing down his body, to hear every groan Mondo could make.  His rough hands hiking up the stupidly-hot Christmas sweater Taka was wearing and…

 

Oh wait…no…Mondo’s still in the wheelchair. 

 

Oh well, Taka would have to sit in his lap.  Like the one time in the bath.  He hadn’t done that though…he’d run back to his room and jacked off…

 

Why had he done that again?  He couldn’t remember…

 

Oh!  There he was!  Wow, he looked so hot.  Taka bet his lips were soft.  They looked soft.

 

“Kyoudai!”

 

* * *

 

Ishimaru was drunk.

 

Mondo blamed Michi.  Fucker was just constantly providing Taka with more and more cocktails, and Taka’s protests just reduced more and more.  Taka wasn’t a drinker, not even close to the extent that Mondo was, and was therefore a huge lightweight.  Mondo was keeping an eye on him, but mostly Taka had just been talking with the gang.

 

“Kyoudai!”

 

Mondo jumped and looked over his shoulder to find Taka leaning on the handles of his wheelchair with a really stupid expression on his face.  He was wobbling pretty bad, even while leaning on the chair.  “Ya alright there, Taka?”

 

Taka giggled and the sound made Mondo’s heart do a backflip.  “Hey Kyoudai, pop quiz.  Guess who likes you?  Time’s up, it’s me.  I like you Kyoudai,”  Ishimaru was giving him a dopey smile and his eyes were glazed over with alcohol.

 

Mondo ignored the way he took those words and responded simply, “I like you too.”

 

“Noooooo,” Taka whined and his head rolled back dramatically.  “I mean I _liiiike_ you”  He reached up and patted Mondo’s face, “Youuuuu’re so handsome! Kiss me Kyoudai? I wanna kiss youuuuu~!”

 

Mondo’s brain fizzled out.  _What???_   But Ishimaru wasn’t waiting for Mondo’s thoughts to catch up to him, taking the other’s silence as refusal.

 

“You’re so meaaaaan,” Ishimaru whined.  “I didn’t like anyone before you!  Why Mondooooo?  Why did you do this to meeeee?”

 

Mondo’s face felt hot and his spine tensed at this information.  “Taka, you’re drunk.”

 

Ishimaru pouted.  “Nooooo, m’not.  _I_ don’t get drunk like you.  I’m a paragon of _moral integrity_.”  He flopped his head over the back of Mondo’s chair and nuzzled his face directly into Mondo’s neck.  “Mmm, you smell nice…”  Goosebumps popped up on Mondo’s arms.

 

Salvation came over in the form of Michi stifling a laugh as he came over, phone poised to take a picture.  Mondo glared at him.

 

“Aww c’mon Boss.”

 

“Michi, I have to get this guy home.  How do you expect me to do that if _I’m in a fucking wheelchair_?”

 

“Shhhhhhh,” Ishimaru looked up and pressed a finger to Mondo’s lips, stunning the other into silence.  “No swearing in the halls….”  He slumped back onto Mondo’s good shoulder, fingers trailing down Mondo’s chest.  “Not welcome…school environment…”

 

Mondo left Taka where he was and whipped his head back to Michi, his expression half unbridled anger, half a cry for help.

 

“Alright, alright,” Michi held up his hands and took a step back.  “I’ll call you two a cab and send Hironaka with you.”

 

From where he was on Mondo’s shoulder, Ishimaru whined, “Noooooo, only I can have Mondoooo.”

 

* * *

 

The cab ride was fairly uneventful, Hironaka helped both of them in and out of the car.  Taka had stuck like glue to Mondo’s bicep, occasionally nuzzling his face into it.  Mondo kept an eye on him, making sure Taka wasn’t about to puke into his lap.

 

Once they’d successfully gotten in the apartment, and Hironaka had wished Mondo luck with his retirement before bidding them goodnight, Mondo sighed.  “You gonna hold onto me all ni-?“  The words died in his throat when he noticed Taka crying.

 

“H-hey…Kyoudai…are you-?”

 

“ _Don’t leave me!”_    The sound that came out of Ishimaru was almost inhuman, and Mondo didn’t know what to do.  He’d seen Ishimaru’s emotional outbursts before; anyone who knew the man had, but this was something else entirely.  Taka’s whole body was shaking with the force of his sobs.

 

“Ishimaru…Kiyotaka…hey, look at me,” Taka did, with thick tear tracks running down his cheeks.  “I’m not going anywhere, ok?”  Mondo tried to keep his voice soft, comforting, which was hard considering everything that had just happened.

 

“I keep having nightmares…of you dying…and I can’t help… _I can’t do anything_!”  Taka clawed at Mondo’s shirt.  “I’m so useless.”  Mondo softly ran his hand through Taka’s hair.

 

“I never told you why…”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why I left.  University.”

 

Mondo let out a breath of air.  “You don’t have to if you-“

 

“I almost died,” Taka said simply, his voice small.  “Nothing I was doing was helping anyone, and I thought maybe if I worked just a little harder, pushed myself further.”  Taka paused.  “They found me slumped in the corner of the library…almost dead.”

 

Mondo didn’t say anything, too shocked.

 

“I was in the hospital for a few weeks…enough to lose my scholarship.”

 

Mondo reached out, attempting to pull Ishimaru into a hug, but the other resisted. 

 

“Mondo?”

           

“Yeah, Kyoudai?”

 

“I’ll be back,” with that, Ishimaru ran to the bathroom, and the sound of retching soon followed.  Mondo was left alone with his thoughts.  It was a lot to take in.  He couldn’t say he was surprised.  They would often joke in high school that Ishimaru would work himself to death if he wasn’t careful.  For that to almost be a reality…

 

And Mondo would never have known.  All he would’ve noticed was Ishimaru’s letters stopping.  They never would have argued about cereals, never would have watched _The Lion King_ together, never would have gone through the haunted house…

 

It was then that Mondo decided life was too short.  He couldn’t live his life in a series of what if’s, he had already done that enough when Daiya died.   So, tomorrow, when Ishimaru was more sober and likely to remember…

           

Mondo was going to confess to him.

 

Taka came out of the bathroom, looking sleepy, but slightly more aware and gently wheeled Mondo to the room they’d been sharing.  He helped Mondo kick off his jeans and hobble into bed before following in behind him and snuggling into Mondo’s side.

 

“I meant it Taka,” Mondo whispered softly as he felt Ishimaru’s breathing stabilize into sleep.  “I’m never going to leave you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S ABOUT TIME!  
> (And yes, we are getting there, I promise.)


	25. Solidarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Advice from one gay to another.
> 
> This is the first chapter I had to change plot-wise, specifically the end. I don't want to say what I changed because I still might go down that route, just not now.

 

 

Mondo woke up the next morning curled protectively around a soundly-sleeping Taka.  The smaller had latched onto Mondo at some point during the night and now his face was nestled firmly in between Mondo’s pecs.  There was a wet patch where Ishimaru’s head was.  Drool. 

 

Mondo sighed fondly at the sight and, without stopping to think or worry about it, he ran his fingers through Taka’s sleep-mussed hair.  The black-haired man hummed softly and pressed into the hand.

 

Yeah, he could get used to waking up like this.  Even with the drool.

 

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to stay and admire how calm Taka’s face was in his sleep.  Mondo had a plan, and it would work better if Taka wasn’t awake to question where Mondo was going.

 

Slowly, trying to not disturb the sleeping man, Mondo eased himself out of Taka’s death-grip and managed to hobble himself into his wheelchair.  He could push himself around fine.  His arms didn’t hurt _that_ much, it was just easier for Taka to push him around.

 

The fact that Taka had to constantly be by his side when doing so had absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

Now he just needed to get out of the apartment…

 

Several colorful curses Mondo was sure Taka would have scolded him for if he was awake, a ding on the coffee table, and a fight with the door handle later, Mondo was finally out of the apartment and rolling down the sidewalk in the early morning air.  It was a Sunday, so not many people were around, but those who were gave him strange looks.  It must have looked odd, a gruff biker guy in two casts and a wheelchair, wheeling himself along with a huge grin on his face.

 

He was on his way to the bakery nestled on a nearby corner.  Ishimaru had mentioned that though he wasn’t one for sweets, the smell coming from the bakery as he made his way to work every morning was tempting.  So, Mondo was going to treat him to breakfast in bed.  That’s what boyfriends…er…almost-sorta-confessing-crushes did right? 

 

The bakery itself was cute.  The front was white with mint green paneling and in the display was a cake made out of several tiers of cupcakes stacked on top of one another.  Through the window one could also see the glass counters containing rows upon rows of pastries.  Mondo normally didn’t come this way on his way to work, so this was his first time seeing the store.  He had to admit, the smell that appeared to be wafting from the store was heavenly.

 

He was trying to figure out how he was going to get the wheelchair up over the step into the store when the door flew open and a little bell chimed as it did. 

 

The woman who came out was carrying a chalk sign-stand inscribed with the day’s specials but stopped when she noticed Mondo.  “Ah!  Hello sir!  Welcome to _Donut Worry Be Happy Bakery_!  I’m-wait…Mondo?  Is that you?”  The energetic brunette had gotten older, her face maturing out into a young woman, but she’d be recognizable regardless. 

 

“Heh, seems like I’m running into you guys left and right lately.”

 

Aoi smiled brightly, lighting up the whole block, her blue eyes crinkling.  “I didn’t recognize you with your hair down!  It’s a good look for you!  And,” she became confused as her gaze traveled down but the confusion quickly changed to shock.  “What happened!?”

 

Mondo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  “Bike accident.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Aoi set down the sign and crossed her arms.  “Taka told us about that.  But I didn’t expect it to be _this_ bad!  You look like you got in a fight.”  Mondo merely shrugged, unsure how to justify his injuries. 

 

Aoi shook her head, but jumped as she realized something.  “Oh!  Were you trying to come in?”  But before Mondo could even nod, she continued, “Hold on one sec!”

 

With that, Aoi practically skipped back into the bakery.  “Hey Sakura!  You’ll never guess who’s here!”

 

When Aoi returned, Sakura was in her wake, having to duck through the door.  Sakura looked much the same, but almost softer somehow, more feminine.  Her silver hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail and the apron she was wearing with the bakery’s logo – a donut with a smiley face – was dusted with flour.  “Hey, Sakura.”  Mondo grinned at his former training partner.  She smiled back and inclined her head in greeting.  They’d been pretty decent friends in high school.  At first Mondo had refused to even spar her based on the simple fact that she was a girl, but after his ass was handed to him, he conceded that maybe some girls were ok to fight.

 

After some finagling and shifting, including almost being dropped twice, the two women managed to lift Mondo in his wheelchair and get him into the store.  Once they’d set him back down on the green and white tile, Aoi straightened up.  “Thanks babe,” she leaned up and pecked Sakura’s cheek.  “I haven’t been pressing lately.”  She clasped one of Sakura’s hands in both of her own.

 

Sakura nodded solemnly.  “Wouldn’t want you to pull anything.”  The taller then leant down and placed a kiss into Aoi’s hair.

 

While all of this was going on, Mondo was reeling.  Sakura left, saying something about getting bread out of the oven, and Aoi watched her go.  After the door to the kitchen swung shut, Aoi turned back to find Mondo intensely studying the tiling.

 

“Uh…Mondo?  Ya alright there?”

 

“You two are a _thing_?”  Maybe Mondo’s voice came out a little louder than he had originally meant it to, but it didn’t faze Aoi, who smiled once again.

 

“Mmhm!”

 

Mondo was at a loss for words.  “But I…what…when?”

 

“Last winter actually!”  Aoi walked behind the counter and started straightening up the loaves, probably making room for the ones coming out of the oven.  “I had just gotten off of the competitive circuit and was starting training for the Olympics.  Sakura was there at the initial orientation!  We had kept in touch of course, but I had no idea she was going to be at that particular meeting!”  She turned and wiped her hands off on her apron.  “From there, we realized we never wanted to be apart again, and the rest is history.”

           

Mondo couldn’t help but make comparisons between the simple story and how he and Taka had re-entered each other’s lives again.

 

“It’s a little hard being a gay couple,” she looked to the door to the kitchen where soft humming was now drifting.  “But she’s worth it.”  Her voice was softer than Mondo ever thought he heard it, and as she turned to give him a knowing look, he knew she wasn’t just talking about her and Sakura.

 

Mondo sighed deeply.  “Ok, so since I assume everyone is in on this bet thing going on, you probably already know.” 

 

Aoi’s grin widened and she nodded her head vigorously.  “Yeah, Sakura and I have a joint bet.” 

 

Mondo smiled ruefully and shook his head.  “Of course, you do.”

 

“I-I’m uh…”  The words seemed to catch in his throat.  “I going to…today…need breakfast.”

 

The noise Aoi let out surely wouldn’t have been considered human and after she was done, Mondo was surprised the windows in the bakery hadn’t shattered.  Sakura even threw open the kitchen door worriedly.  “Are you both alright?”

 

Aoi pounced on her girlfriend, taking her by the hands and twirling her around.  “MONDO’S CONFESSING TODAAAAAY! AND HE CAME TO _OUR_ BAKERY TO GET TAKA BREAKFAST!”  Mondo cringed at the volume, but didn’t miss how Sakura’s eyes lit up.

 

“That truly is excellent news.”

 

“I _know,_ right?”  Aoi let go of Sakura and skipped over to the breakfast counter, grabbing a paper bag.  “What do you think he’d like?  Maybe I could make some quiches spell out ‘Will you be my BF’, or would that be overboard? Or maybe,” she was now addressing Mondo, “You could get some cinnamon buns and tell him that he has _nice buns_.”

 

Mondo immediately flushed bright red.  “That’s stupid!  I don’t wanna say embarrassing shit like that!”  Aoi only chuckled and added two cinnamon buns to the bag.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to comic con tomorrow! I'm so excited, I haven't been to a con since I was in high school. I also have next to no DR merch so here's hoping!
> 
> Also, come bother me about Taka's "nice buns" on tumblr @GauntletKnight.


	26. Gay Panic 2: Confession Boogaloo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It...is here.

 

He had told Mondo.

 

_He had. Told. **Mondo.**_

 

Maybe he hadn’t been so explicit, but anyone would have been able to pick up the signals he had been laying down while under the influence of alcohol.  He knew he shouldn’t have drunk anything.

 

He didn’t remember much after they got home, but he knew enough that he had _flirted_ with Mondo in the bar.  He could still see the other’s flushed face as Taka hung all over him.  That knowledge, coupled with the fact that he woke up in a cold, empty bed, and Mondo was nowhere to be found in the apartment, could only mean one thing.

           

He was sobbing.  He honestly hadn’t expected Mondo to return his feelings.  _Taka_ still didn’t know how he himself felt about all of it.  But this?  This fundamental rejection by the one person he cared for the most.

 

It was too much.

 

He could feel his breathing starting to hitch and get more rapid until he was practically hyperventilating.  Every joint locked up until he was just curled up into a ball on a bed that was far too large and far too cold.  And, _God_ , it still smelled like _him._   Everything _hurt_ ; was he dying?

 

Eventually, the shaking settled down and Ishimaru started rationalizing it all in his head.  Maybe this was for the best.  After all, Mondo hadn’t left a letter telling Taka that he never wanted to see him again…unless he had said it last night.  But then it wouldn’t make sense that Taka was in _Mondo’s_ bed.  Did he pass out here and because Mondo was in the wheelchair, he couldn’t move Taka?

 

Regardless, it was clear that he couldn’t stay any longer.  He’d tell Mondo when he got back… _if_ he came back.  No, all of his things were still here.

 

With shaky legs and a pounding headache, Ishimaru stood and limped his way to his own room.  He didn’t have much…maybe he could stay with his father for a while.  The idea sat like acid in his mouth, but it would be less disgraceful than living on the streets.

 

He was finishing putting his pictures into a suitcase when he heard the door to the apartment open.  Immediately, he stiffened and hastened to zip up the luggage.  He was hoping to get out before Mondo came back.  Seemed the world was conspiring against him today.

 

Still, he should notify Mondo of his departure.

 

Carefully, with all the silence of a church mouse, Ishimaru exited the safety of his room.  Mondo was in the kitchen, muttering to himself about something.  Steeling his nerves, Taka walked down the hall.

 

Mondo didn’t notice him right away.  He had propped himself on the counter and was attempting to reach into the cabinets to get a plate.  Under normal circumstances, Taka would have come forward to help him, but he just stayed standing awkwardly in the doorway.

 

Mondo was successful in retrieving the plate and with a grunted, “There you are fucker,” he sat back down in the wheelchair.  He didn’t notice right away, instead pulling out a paper bag and rifling through it.

 

“Ky- Oowada-kun.”

 

Mondo jumped, “Jesus Christ Taka, what are you? A ninja?”  He took a deep breath to steady himself and placed two cinnamon rolls on the plate he had gotten.  “I was hoping to talk to you after breakfast…got something I need to say…to you.”

 

There it was.  Mondo knew.  He was going to ask Taka to leave.

 

“There…there’s no need for that Oowada-kun.”  _Don’t cry._   “I realize…I may have said some things last night while under the influence.”  Mondo looked up at him, confused.  “They were highly inappropriate and as such I will be leaving this afternoon.”

 

The plate shattered as it hit the tile, the pastries bouncing away.  “ _What?_ ”

 

Ishimaru cringed and looked away, trying to not think about the hurt expression on Mondo’s face. “I am sorry for what I said.  The least I can do now is to not inconvenience you further.”

 

“The Hell you mean ‘ _inconvienence_ ’,” Mondo looked mad, that was probably a bad sign.  Taka rushed to explain.

 

“I remember last night Mo- Oowada-kun.  I remember the things I said at the party.  And you’re obviously uncomfortable knowing how…how I-“

 

“How you like me?”  Taka winced, and Mondo caught the action with hard eyes.  “Do you really think I’m that much of a shithead?  That I’d throw ya out jus ‘cause you _like_ me?”

 

“W-wait,” It was Taka’s turn to be shocked.  Was Mondo really saying…? 

 

But Mondo was still talking; his volume increasing the more he went on.  “I may be a biker, and I may have problems with anger, but I’m not a fucking asshole.”  He squinted, challenging Taka.  “Did it even cross your mind that I fucking _like you too_!”  It took a second, before Mondo’s face flushed bright red and he looked away.  “Shit.”

 

Ishimaru was stunned.  Did Mondo just say…?  He felt his own face heating up.  Mondo couldn’t have meant…

 

“Fuck, this isn’t how I wanted to do this,” Mondo muttered more to himself than Taka.  He took a deep breath before continuing, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.  “I…I really like ya Taka.  Can’t stop thinking about ya…I’ve never felt this way about anyone, y’know?”

 

He paused, looking hopefully at Taka.  When all he got in response was a stunned expression, Mondo continued to blabber.  “I mean you’re the closest person to me and w-we live together l’ready…but maybe I fucked up.  Oh shit, I fucked up, didn’t I?  Course, you’re so great and you’re gonna be Prime Minister one day and why would you wanna be with me.  But that’s ok, ‘cause I’m gonna be there for ya even if I can’t _be with_ ya.  I promised to build your first house and that was a _man’s promise_ and I’m not gonna go back on that but I understand if-“

 

Mondo stopped as Ishimaru placed a hand over his.  The younger man was bright red and had turned away, attempting to hide his face in his other hand.  “Taka…?”  Mondo tried but Ishimaru just shook his head in response.

 

“Mondo…”  Taka started after what felt like forever.  “Are you saying…that you are romantically interested in me?”

 

Moment of truth.  Mondo took a deep breath and nodded.  “Yeah…I am.”

 

Ishimaru had been unsure about the depth of his feelings before.  The elation that soared through him at Mondo’s admission both overjoyed and terrified him deeply. 

           

“I…”  he blushed and looked away from Mondo, but his fingers curled around the other’s much larger hand.  “I…feel the same.”

 

Mondo was looking up at him with a soft sense of adoration, like he was the luckiest man alive.  “Y-y’do?”

 

“Yes,” Ishimaru smiled gently.  “I do.  I have for a while.”

 

Mondo’s mouth stretched into a grin and he started laughing.  He leant forward and wrapped his arms around Ishimaru’s waist, giving him the best hug possible from the wheelchair.  “I can’t fuckin believe it.”

 

The joy Mondo was exuding as he attempted to pick up Ishimaru, to which the other man reminded him of Mondo’s injuries, was enough to assuage Taka’s worries.  He didn’t know how to date anyone, let alone a man, but for Mondo…

 

…for Mondo, he would try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOO   
> *pops sparkling cider cause champagne is nasty*  
> CHAPTER 26! WE MADE IT FOLKS!   
> The party doesn't end here though, in fact we're just getting started. >:3c  
> Come celebrate that these two emotionally constipated nerds are finally together on my tumblr @GauntletKnight.


	27. First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like such a bamf right now. I had to re-write an entire chapter from scratch and write another chapter in order to get this chapter out, and I DID IT. On time, no less.
> 
> Anyways, this is really sappy. Enjoy.

 

 

By the next week, almost 6 weeks after the accident, Mondo’s physical therapist finally gave him the clearance to get out of the wheelchair and onto crutches.  The biker had never been happier to be free of wheels.  Ishimaru still fretted over him, and Mondo wasn’t the best on crutches, but it was a marked improvement.

 

Christmas came and went with little fanfare, though Mondo had surprised Taka with KFC.  Mondo hadn’t had the fried chicken for a long time, at least since his brother had died, and Taka had never had that tradition at all.  It was in that way that Mondo, rather startlingly, found that Taka was impervious to spice; absolutely soaking his wings in hot sauce.

 

They traded small gifts.  Taka got Mondo a helmet with the Crazy Diamonds logo on the back, and though Mondo still wasn’t one for helmets, even after the accident, he had to admit the logo was a nice touch.

 

Mondo gave Ishimaru some nice stationary and a new wristwatch with _For my Kyoudai_ and the year engraved on the back.  Mondo thought it was kinda cheesy considering everything the two of them had gone through the past month, but if Ishimaru’s happy tears were anything to go by, it was probably ok.

 

It was a few days before the new year that Ishimaru brought it up.

 

“Mondo, would you like to go out tonight?”

 

Mondo had been sitting on the couch, watching TV.  He looked up at Taka when he asked.  “What?" 

 

“A date,” Ishimaru stated.  “I’d like to take you out on a date, if that’s ok.”  Mondo felt the flush on his face run down his neck.  It was suddenly too hot in here.  “That _is_ what people do…right?”

 

“Y-yeah, sure.”

 

Ishimaru fidgeted, “Um, to clarify, was that yes to my question or yes to…”

 

“Yeah,” Mondo nodded.  “Yeah to the d-date.”  Mondo cursed the fact that his voice was shaking so badly.

 

Taka’s face immediately brightened.  “Excellent!  Dress warmly.”  And with that, he spun on his heel and back to his own room, leaving a rather befuddled Mondo on the couch.

 

* * *

 

 

Taka wouldn’t tell him anything, instead opting to give simply an address to the cab that picked them up.  Mondo was merely along for the ride.  Taka always dressed nicely, Mondo didn’t think he’d ever seen him in anything less than a polo, but he seemed like he had tried particularly hard to look nice.  He had on crisp, white shirt and nice, black slacks, and his hair had been slicked back.  Despite Mondo feeling like he should tell Ishimaru he didn’t need to dress up just for Mondo’s appreciation, the biker couldn’t help but feel fond that Taka _had_.

 

Taka must have caught him looking, because their eyes met and Taka flushed.  “Mondo?”

 

That was another thing, Taka had taken to calling Mondo by his first name.  Every time he did, Mondo felt warmth rush through him.

 

Mondo grinned at the man next to him.  “Ah, nothing.  I was just wondering where we’re going.”

 

Taka hummed in response and looked out the window.  “If I’m not mistaken, we’re almost there.”

 

Silence fell again in the backseat of the cab, and Mondo suddenly became aware that Taka’s hand was only a few inches away from his own.  Without his consent, his pinky twitched in the direction of the other man’s hand; seeking its warmth.  Gritting his teeth, Mondo clenched his hand into a fist as he pulled it back into his lap.

 

He still didn’t know what he and Taka were.  Sure, Taka had made it very clear this was a “date” but he didn’t know what that meant to the other.  Would Taka be ok with holding hands?  With kissing?  With…more?

 

He was lucky enough that Taka wanted to be with him.  He wasn’t going to push his luck.

 

* * *

 

 

They got out of the cab in the main plaza of the city.  A small New Year’s festival was taking place in the plaza.  Lights decorated the trees and sparkled in the night, and the smell of fair food wafted in the cold air.

 

In all honesty, Mondo was pleasantly surprised.  He had assumed Taka would want to keep things traditional and take him to a fancy restaurant and a movie.  Not that there was anything wrong with that, but Mondo really wanted to avoid another incident like what happened at the fall dinner.  Being pressured into a stuffy environment like a classy restaurant would undoubtedly mess with him.

 

Taka finished paying the driver and came to stand next to Mondo.  “I was thinking, you really seemed to enjoy the festivals we went to in high school, so when I saw the set up for this…”  He trailed off.  “If it’s too much for your crutches, we can go home.  I’ll admit I didn’t think about that.”  Taka started rambling, chastising himself for picking something Mondo “obviously wouldn’t enjoy.”

 

Mondo cut him off.  “Hey,” Taka looked up at him, concerned.  “It’s great.”  Mondo smiled genuinely.  “Could use some fresh air.”

 

Taka’s returning smile was small, but still just as wonderful.  “Of course.”

 

Together, they walked around the festival, occasionally stopping to look at trinkets someone was selling to ring in the New Year.  Mondo almost cried when he saw they had a cotton candy stall, immediately purchasing a bag of the fluffy sugar.  He offered some to Taka, but the other had already gotten benishoga takoyaki, happily munching away on the street food.

 

Taka insisted on buying kagami mochi from one of the stalls, reminding Mondo that they didn’t have the time nor the expertise to make their own.  Mondo brought up the point that they technically didn’t need to do it, but Taka waved him off.

 

“I want to have a memorable new year with you,” he said softly, handing over they yen needed before giving Mondo a gentle smile.  Mondo felt his face flare up immediately.

 

The rest of their time walking between the stalls was filled with companionable silence, and when they had finished walking through the festival, they found a bench under one of the trees and sat, pointing out the decorations dotting the plaza.

 

“Mondo,” Ishimaru started after the conversation had wound down.

 

“Mm?”

 

Taka turned, eyes filled with something Mondo couldn’t quite place.  “What should I call you now?”

 

Mondo’s brow furrowed.  “What d’ya mean?”

 

“Well,” Taka blushed and looked away.  “I don’t think I can call you _Kyoudai_ anymore…it doesn’t feel… _enough_.”

 

Mondo caught onto what Taka meant, and he took a nervous breath.  “Uh…I mean, what do you _want_ to call me?”

           

Taka hummed and grew silent, processing the simple question.  When he spoke again, it was not an answer, but something that caught Mondo completely off guard.  “Mondo,” his voice was quiet.  “I’d like to kiss you.”

 

Mondo was stunned into silence.  Taka looked up tentatively, “I mean, of course, only if you want to.”

 

Mondo’s nerves got the better of him and he started getting louder.  “Y-yeah, I _want_ to.  Fuck, I’ve wanted to for a _while_ , I just didn’t know if-“ He stopped as he felt the warmth of Taka’s hand on his leg.  The younger man was looking at him with all the quiet longing Mondo had felt these past few months, and maybe a bit longer.

 

Gently, as if he’d break if Mondo moved too fast, Mondo reached out and cupped Taka’s face.  He was almost working on instinct, despite never doing this before.  He leant in and, softly as he could, pressed his lips to Taka’s.

 

He couldn’t imagine why he was ever _not_ kissing Taka.  It was like he was on fire, every nerve alight; conscious of the slide of soft lips over his own.  The air was chill with winter, but suddenly Mondo couldn’t feel it anymore.  All he could feel was Taka pressing into him, clutching at his coat, silently asking for more.  Mondo was happy to acquiesce, tilting his head into the kiss; trying in vain to get closer.

 

Unfortunately, oxygen was something both of them needed, and all too soon, they parted.  Foggy breaths from their mouths, still inches apart, pressing foreheads together.  Mondo gently caressed his thumb along Taka’s cheekbone and the other looked up.  Mondo saw the vulnerability there, and for once in his life, let his own weaknesses through.  Taka’s eyes softened and he placed his own hand over Mondo’s where it still cupped his cheek.

 

Around them, people smiled in wonder as fluffy snow started to fall, making the lights of the decorations gleam like stars.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sap.  
> Come bother me (and get updates on the fic!) at my tumblr @GauntletKnight  
> and a small thing you guys might enjoy since so many people asked: https://gauntletknight.tumblr.com/post/180022395227/some-people-were-aggressively-shipping-rokamichi


	28. New Year New Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep getting so many nice comments. Geeze guys, you're making me blush. Thank you!  
> (I get flustered easily, have pity on my poor soul)  
> Enjoy a chapter of solid fluff.  
> And bless wikipedia for helping me with research for this and the previous chapter.

 

 

“Mondo!”  Taka hurried into the apartment and shucked off his coat.  He’d had the day off of work, but that wasn’t going to stop him from staying active.  Mondo on the other hand, had slept in but awoke groggily upon Taka rushing into the bedroom.

 

Ishimaru had at least the sense to look a little sorry for disturbing Mondo’s beauty sleep on a holiday and pecked Mondo on the forehead in apology.  Under Taka’s lips, Mondo smiled softly and hummed, all frustration at the early hour melting away.

 

“Mmn…wassup?”  Mondo’s voice was low and rough with sleep.  He smiled in victory when he saw the tips of Ishimaru’s ears turn red.

 

“It is New Year’s Eve!  That is what’s up!”  Taka extended his arms which appeared to be full of paper, letting all of it fall onto where Mondo was laying on the bed.  Upon closer inspection, the bits of paper were actually all New Year’s cards, some with looping handwriting, other had scrawls, while still others had decorative envelopes.  Taka’s eyes were shining.  “I’ve never received this many!  When I was a child, we only were sent ones from some of my father’s co-workers.”

 

Mondo rubbed his face with one hand and sat up.  “Who are they all from?”

 

Taka didn’t answer right away, and when Mondo looked at him, Taka’s mind seemed to be occupied by something else; Mondo’s bare chest to be exact. The larger man laughed, dropping his voice low, attempting to be seductive.  “Like what’cha see?”

 

What Mondo wasn’t expecting was for Taka to smile and nod enthusiastically.  “You are in good shape!  It’s important to start the year off with good health after all!”

 

“Ah…right.”  Mondo was a little disappointed, but not surprised that the implications went over Taka’s head.  He didn’t catch that the red on Ishimaru’s ears had spread down to his neck and cheeks.

 

“Shall we open them,” Taka asked enthusiastically, rifling through the envelopes.  “I’m curious as to how everyone is doing.  I didn’t keep in touch with a lot of them.  I’m surprised they even knew I was living with you!”

 

Mondo didn’t mention that they probably all knew because of the ongoing bet.  Hell, they probably had a group chat discussing his and Taka’s love lives.  But, he found it didn’t frustrate him as much as it once had.  He didn’t really care anymore who knew.  Mondo hummed in agreement and picked up an envelope near his hand. 

 

It was a plain envelope, and the return address was to a nearby city.  While Ishimaru was trying to sort the cards based on work, friends, the gang, and high school friends, Mondo ripped the envelope open and took out the card.  It was pretty standard with cherry blossoms embossed on the surface.  On the inside were two distinctive handwritings.  The first was rather messy, but still legible

 

_Hey Mondo and Taka,_

_Happy New Year!  I hope this gets to you on time, I kinda mailed it late.  Congrats on finally admitting your feelings for each other!  I’m really happy for you, even if I lost to Celeste and Kyoko.  I hope both of you have a great new year together! We might be by to visit soon!_

The handwriting changed to become neater and more slanted.  Clearly a practiced hand.

 

_I as well congratulate you on your relationship.  I truly believe you two will be_ _good for each other.  My father also sends his best, though I imagine he’ll be sending his own card.  He seemed relieved when I told him you were together.  Seems he thinks Taka will be a good influence on you, Mondo.  I agree, but also in the reverse.  May you both have a happy new year, and I look forward to seeing you both again._

           

Both handwritings signed the bottom

 

            _-Makoto and Kyoko_

 

“Hey Taka, this one’s from Makoto and Kyoko,” Mondo said as he finished, handing the card over to where Ishimaru was just finishing sorting.  Taka took the card and immediately started reading it with bright eyes. 

 

However, a few seconds into reading, he flushed bright red and spluttered, “H-how did they know? Kirigiri-san I could understand but-”

 

“Mm?”  Mondo was confused for a second.  “Oh, right.  You didn’t know.”  Mondo leant back into his pillows and crossed his arms.  “All the little shits we graduated with have been betting on when we were going to get together since high school.”

 

“ _What_ ” Taka shrieked.  “That’s a severe invasion of privacy!  Not to mention that gambling on school property is prohibited.  I can’t believe they were doing this and I didn’t know!”

 

Taka went on rambling about the rules of their former high school, and even if they _were_ together now, that was no excuse, etc. etc.  Mondo just chuckled to himself at how riled up Taka was.

 

* * *

 

“So, what are you going to wish for the New Year?”

 

They were sitting on the roof of the apartment complex with a few other groups of people, waiting for the first sunrise of the new year.  Though they weren’t alone, most of the groups kept to themselves.  Taka had the wherewithal to bring up a blanket, bundling the two of them against the cold wind.  Taka was standing in front of Mondo, with the taller man reaching down to hug him from behind.

 

Mondo had to think about the question, and nuzzled into Taka’s hair.  There wasn’t really anything he wanted.  He had everything he needed right now with the man he loved in his arms and hope for a future outside of the gang.  There was only one thing he could think of.

 

“I want you to be happy and become Prime Minister,” he murmured into Taka’s hair.

 

The shorter man tensed and spluttered, “Mondo!  It’s supposed to be for _you_!”

 

Mondo chuckled and kissed the back of Taka’s head, feeling the other relax slightly.  “But I already have everything I want.”

 

Ishimaru hummed thoughtfully.  “Fine then, for the New Year, I wish for you to become a successful carpenter and be happy in your new, honest profession.”

 

Now it was Mondo’s turn to be bashful.  “Aw, c’mon Taka.”  But he didn’t protest any more, especially with the look Taka gave him.  How was it possible to believe in someone so much you had actual stars in your eyes?  He refrained from kissing his boyfriend for the time being…but _just barely_.

 

Eventually the sky began changing from deep black to purple, and eventually pinks and oranges.  When the sun finally peeked over the horizon, there was a loud cheer from the apartment rooftop as everyone rang in the new year.  From the looks of it, it was going to be a beautiful day.

 

Mondo squeezed Taka in his arms.  “Happy New Year, Kiyotaka.”

 

Taka leaned up and pecked Mondo’s lips softly.  Everyone was too wrapped up in celebrations to notice the display of affection between the two men.

 

“Happy New Year, Mondo.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God they're so adorable it's disgusting.  
> (I can only blame myself though...)
> 
> It's also time to announce that I think I'm going to be starting a sister fic to this with little oneshots pertaining to this story like...
> 
> How did Roka and Michi meet?  
> What do the other New Year's Letters say?  
> What was the chapter I had to re-write from scratch? (I still have it)
> 
> Dunno when it will be starting (probably Holiday break) but it'll be just for funsies, so look forward to that!
> 
> Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	29. Restraint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *posts a giant NSFW* warning on this chapter.  
> We still haven't hit full explicit mode yet but yeah.
> 
> You're not missing anything, Mondo spends 2 paragraphs admiring Taka's butt.

A few days into the New Year, Taka was still on his vacation from work, but Mondo had to go into the garage. He’d been taken off his crutches the day before, which was great. But apparently, some assholes had decided it would be fun to blow snow up with their bikes. They didn’t clean it off before night fell and now all the pipes were frozen. The entire inner workings had ground to a halt, and it was Mondo’s job to make sure everything was up and running as well as it could be under the circumstances.

It sucked sometimes being the only bike specialist guy in the whole garage.

He had come home that night hoping to just bundle up with Taka in a warm blanket and maybe make cup noodle. He’d been working with frozen metal all day, trying to heat it up slowly to avoid damage, and the cold had seeped into his bones.

What he hadn’t been expecting was to open the door to the apartment to see Ishimaru standing on a step stool, reaching to dust the blinds…in nothing but a pair of underwear.

His winter coat hit the floor with a quiet thwump, not loud enough for Taka to turn around. Light music was playing in the background, probably just something on the radio, and Taka was nodding his head along to the beat as he stood on his toes, trying to get the top blind with the duster. He’d probably gotten hot moving around cleaning, but why he stripped so much was beyond Mondo.

To make matters worse, Taka had his back turned, giving Mondo a perfect view of his ass.

God, Asahina was wrong when she said his ass was ‘nice’. Nice didn’t even begin to describe it. Mondo wasn’t the type of guy who went to art museums, but with this ass, he didn’t have to. Taka’s ass was almost god-like; like it was sculpted to be the butt all other butts aspire to. The muscles on his back stretched as he reached, and a line of sweat rolled down the line of his spine to settle into the crevice just above where his ass started.

Mondo often forgot that Taka was muscled just as much as he, himself was. It was hard to tell with the clothes Taka wore, but now Mondo was getting to see it in all it’s glory. Obviously, some of that working out had gotten to his ass which would be referred to by some, Mondo included, as a ‘bubble butt’. He had no idea how something could look both soft and firm, but damn it, he couldn’t deny what was staring him literally in the face.

He wanted to touch it so bad. But his hands were still covered in oil and grime from the garage and he’d be damned if he soiled the beauty in front of him just to get a feel. It would have to wait for another time…if Taka would let him that is.

That’s when he noticed the growing…problem that if his mind kept going where it had, wasn’t going away anytime soon.

Quietly, so as not to disturb what Taka was doing, he tried to creep around the corner to get to the bathroom and hopefully resolve his situation. Just as he was about to close the door however, he saw Taka’s foot shift ever-so-slightly in the wrong direction.

The shorter man flailed his arm in an attempt to stay perched on the arm of the couch, but it was to no avail. Mondo lunged, hoping to catch Taka before he hit the floor, previous worries about decency and self-preservation forgotten for the moment. He managed to get his arms around Taka, but the momentum combined with the fact that Mondo was only recently out of his cast brought them down together.

The blow was softened by Mondo breaking Taka’s fall somewhat, but they still ended up sprawled across the floor next to the couch in a tangle of limbs. Mondo tried to extricate himself first, his recently-healed leg twinging in protest as he pushed himself up on his hands and knees.

To say the position they had landed in was compromising would be an understatement.

Mondo had somehow landed on top of Taka, despite his best efforts to catch the other. Taka was splayed out under Mondo; pale face flushed in adrenaline and framed by Mondo’s hands on either side of his head. That would be enough to fluster the former gang-leader, but what was really incriminating was that Mondo’s hips had found their way in between Taka’s thighs and now they were pressed pelvis- to-pelvis. Not to mention that Taka was still mostly naked.

Every logical part of Mondo was screaming at him to get away and off Taka, but he was frozen. Whether it was due to shock, arousal, or both, Mondo found he couldn’t move. 

Taka looked up at him with a blush and smiled. “Thank you for the catch Mondo. I didn’t even know you were home!” Mondo didn’t respond, but continued to look at Taka blankly. 

Ishimaru shifted to get up, and in the process, managed to rub his own hips up against Mondo’s. The larger man tried to bite back a moan, but it ended up rumbling up from his chest anyway and he winced at the noise. Ishimaru’s eyebrows shot up immediately. He gasped as he laid himself back down under Mondo, clearly surprised.

Mondo felt his senses come back to him and scurried off of Taka as fast as he could, his back hitting the side of the couch. He tried looking everywhere but Ishimaru as the other man pushed himself into a sitting position. He was even more flushed than when he fell. “Mondo…do you…?”

“Shit, Taka I can explain I…uh…” Mondo pressed a palm to his forehead. “Fuck.” This was so embarrassing, and this was coming from the guy who shouted at girls he liked. Now he had to explain to his boyfriend, the first person to ever like him back, that he was hard.

“You don’t have to explain,” Taka said matter-of-factly and upon Mondo’s inspection, the other didn’t appear bothered at all. “It’s a perfectly natural reaction after all. I just…uh…didn’t…” His voice grew softer. “I didn’t realize you felt that way about me.”

While Ishimaru’s voice went down in volume, Mondo’s started to climb. “O-of course I do! We’re uh…dating, right? And like you said it’s only natural so…” This was fucking mortifying. Why couldn’t it be like in the movies and they could be having hot steamy sex, or at the very least, making out by now?

“I already said you didn’t have to explain,” Ishimaru protested, before quietly adding, “I’ve been having similar thoughts.”

“Eh?” Mondo’s head whipped up at that. Wait…so…that meant…Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass was telling him… 

But Ishimaru was busy steamrollering over Mondo’s line of thinking.

“But I believe it is still too early in our relationship to engage in intercourse, and also such things require planning and proper preparations. Not to mention that it should be special and picked for a time for optimal romance.”

“Taka, please stop talking about our sex lives like math.”

“But Mondo! How else will we enjoy ourselves unless everything is perfect?”

“I don’t care about that! It will be perfect, as long as it’s with you!”

That made Ishimaru stop, and he looked to Mondo with wide eyes. There was a moment of silence before tears started bubbling over Taka’s eyes. “Ah, shit,” Mondo swore, easing himself over to where his still-mostly-naked boyfriend was blubbering. “I didn’t mean it Taka, you can make it perfect if you wanna’.”

Taka just shook his head before looking up with a watery smile. “I didn’t realize you thought of me so highly.” He attempted wiping his tears off on his arms.

Mondo was almost indignant. “Of course, I do! I love ya!”

Taka’s eyes softened and he leant into Mondo’s chest, the other occasionally rubbing a few fingers down Taka’s spine comfortingly. “I love you too, Mondo,” Taka murmured quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tries to write awkward smut*  
> *turns fluffy*  
> *sighs*  
> But don't worry, this is the last fluff for a while *rubs hands together deviously*
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	30. Late to a Dinner Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have fanart!!!!   
> 2ki8h1 drew the boys in their suits from the November party looking all dapper, and I swear as soon as I saw it, I ascended to a new plane of existence of happiness.   
> Find it here: https://2ki8h1.tumblr.com/post/180286417412/191118-what-we-could-have-been-chapter#notes and go show them some love!!!
> 
> Also, keep an eye on the notes for the next couple chapters, things are gonna get kinda rough and I'll make sure to warn about any triggering content.
> 
> Stay safe y'all.

 

 

Life continued on as usual for a while. 

 

Taka continued against the daily grind; going to work, coming home, sleeping, then repeating it all again.  He had told Yuko about what had transpired between Mondo and himself, over the holidays.  She seemed ecstatic, wishing them well and giving Ishimaru “tips”.  The kind of “tips” that landed her in a meeting in Ishimaru’s office for office indecency, but she just laughed the whole time.

 

Mondo managed to get into an apprenticeship with a local carpenter that Souda had done some metalwork for a while back.  Upon being offered the position, Mondo quit his job at the garage and was now working with wood full-time, doing the heavy lifting his sensei couldn’t anymore.  Now, instead of coming home covered in grease, he had a fine dusting of wood chips and splinters.  During the often times they cuddled together on the couch watching TV, Taka could smell the wood on him.  It was a vast improvement over the previous scent of motor oil.

 

They hadn’t been on a date since the festival, but that was largely because they were both so busy all the time.  By the point both of them got home and collapsed into each other, all they wanted to do was relax with each other.

 

Mondo was on his way home from a physical therapy session.  His leg still hurt and the therapy just made him frustrated at the things he couldn’t do since the accident.  The frustration led to him pushing himself too hard, despite the nurse’s protests and putting himself in even more pain than he should be in.  It wasn’t unbearable, but it was a pain in the ass.  Er…leg.

 

Mondo had a lot to think about as he limped home.  He didn’t like riding his bike to and from therapy.  For one it wasn’t even that long of a walk, and for two, his muscles didn’t respond properly after therapy and he’d rather not crash his baby again so soon after he fixed her up.

 

He thought about Taka, and how despite the endless cycle of work, his boyfriend always made time to be with him.  He could tell there were some nights Taka was exhausted.  He normally passed out on the couch with Mondo.  Most nights, Mondo would have to carry him to bed, hoping Taka never did protest against Mondo’s assumption that they still shared a bed.  Taka was always gone by the time Mondo woke up for work, and if he ever disliked the proximity of sleeping positions, he didn’t say anything.

 

Somehow, those few hours between getting home and climbing into bed had become all they had.  Mondo was getting kind of sick of it.  Maybe he’d just go talk to Taka’s boss again and ask for more time off.  Nah, Taka would probably get on his ass about that.  Maybe he could get Taka to go on a date this weekend.  Yeah, that could work.  It was Thursday so he had only a few short days to plan, but Mondo was sure he would think of something.

 

He turned the corner to his block, and a shooting pain went up the side of his leg.  His vision went white with pain.  He crumpled instantly, breathing sharply.  “Fuck wha-“

 

“Sup fucker.”

 

Mondo only had time to register that he knew the voice, and that there was the steady rumbling of a motorcycle off to the side before something slammed into the back of his head and everything went black.

 

* * *

 

Ishimaru’s eyes darted over to the clock over the stove once again.  Mondo was supposed to be home two hours ago.  They were hosting Makoto and Kyoko tonight and he could use some help.  He’d done a deep clean of the apartment the day Mondo had come home and caught him when he fell off the couch, but there was still miscellaneous clutter lying around.

 

With each passing minute, Taka got more concerned.  It wasn’t like Mondo to just run off when they had plans.

 

The buzzer for their apartment went off and assuming it was Mondo, Taka hit the button to allow access.  It was odd, sure, but it wasn’t a rare thing that Mondo forgot his keys; especially when he didn’t take his bike.

 

There was barely a knock on the door before Taka swung it open, preparing a lecture for Mondo about keeping his keys on him at all times.  The words died in his throat.  Standing behind the door were Makoto and Kyoko, right on time.  Makoto had apparently been the one to knock, his fist still raised up to the door.  Kyoko was behind him, holding a nice bottle of wine.  Both were dressed warmly against the chill outside.

 

“Ah!  Hey Taka!”  Makoto greeted him jovially.

 

 “Yes, hello.  Um, come in, come in.”  Taka couldn’t hide his concern and slight frustration that it hadn’t been Mondo behind the door.  He knew he was being rude, but his concern about Mondo was at the forefront of his mind.  Kyoko picked right up on it, and her eyes narrowed in scrutiny as she placed the bottle of wine in Taka’s hands.

 

“Uh, feel free to have a seat.  Can I get either of you anything?”  Taka’s eyes cast back to the door.

 

“What’s wrong?”  Kyoko had never been one to beat around the bush, which, in any other situation, Taka would appreciate.  She was straightforward and so was he, it’s just how they were with each other.  But now, to tell her what was on his mind would be admitting there was an issue. 

 

He’d never been a very good liar.

 

“Nothing! I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he tried to retreat to the kitchen with a forced laugh, even just to offer them some of the wine Kyoko had so generously brought.

 

“Hey where’s Mondo?  He seemed pretty excited to see us again.”  Even Makoto noticed. 

 

Taka froze, and Kyoko’s lavender eyes icily stared at him.  He slumped, feeling her sharp gaze, he couldn’t hide it anymore.  Maybe he could be convincing enough for Makoto, but not for the Ultimate Detective.  “I-I don’t know where he is.  He was supposed to be home two hours ago,” Taka glanced at the clock, and his stomach dropped further “Two and a half…”

 

The air in the apartment went down about ten degrees as the seriousness of the situation set in.  Sure, Ishimaru was known for being a worrywart, but he felt justified in this case.  The mirrored concern on his two guests’ faces only increased the panic.  “Maybe he went out with the gang,” Makoto supplied unhelpfully.  Taka knew Mondo wouldn’t have gone out with the _Diamonds_ , not even just because he was trying to change his image, but because-

 

“That’s unlikely,” Kyoko beat him to the point.  “His motorcycle is still in the garage.  Didn’t you see it when we arrived?”  She didn’t wait for Makoto’s answer, instead turning to Taka.  “Where was Oowada coming from?”

 

“He had physical therapy for his leg,” Taka stated firmly, glad he at least knew that.  Mondo didn’t like it but he also didn’t like disappointing Taka who just wanted him to get better.  “He always does on Thursdays.  It’s a couple blocks down and he’s never late home.  From the way he puts it, if he could get out earlier, I believe he would try.”

 

“Take us there.”  Kyoko stood and began putting on her coat again, Makoto scrambling behind her to do the same.

 

Ishimaru felt a heaviness starting to form in the pit of his stomach.  He had the sneaking suspicion that something was wrong, and if Kyoko was this interested, there was almost no doubt.

 

Something had happened to Mondo.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun Duuuuuuuun
> 
> Come yell at me about this @GauntletKnight on tumblr


	31. Kiyondo Ishida?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to write my paper...  
> Have an early chapter

 

 

“Are you sure he takes this path every time?”

 

Ishimaru, who was trying to keep up with Kyoko’s brisk pace and also scan the surrounding pavement for any sign of Mondo, almost missed her question.  “I believe so.  It is the shortest distance between the apartment and there.”

 

“Are we going to talk to the therapist’s office?”  Makoto asked, looking at Kyoko questioningly.

 

She shook her head, hands firmly in her trench coat pockets.  “No, if what Taka told us is correct, whatever happened must have occurred on his way back.”  Something seemed to catch her eye.  “There.”  She stopped abruptly and the two men flanking her almost tripped.

 

Kyoko was pointing to a brick wall of a business building where a smattering of graffiti had been spray-painted.  Ishimaru wasn’t exactly thrilled about the tagging, but it was common enough in the city that he’d grown used to it.  He didn’t understand exactly why Kyoko found it so interesting, but-

 

            “This one,” she knelt down and sniffed.  “The purple logo here.  It’s fresh.  Two hours at the most.  The smell hasn’t dissipated.”  The logo Kyoko was talking about appeared to be stenciled on.  It was, a rather intricate image of a bird’s skull with five stars hovering over it.  It was sprayed in such a dark purple that it was surprising Kyoko had seen it in the dark. “Do you recognize this, Taka?” 

 

Ishimaru shook his head.  He’d never seen the logo in all his studies.  What exactly did this have to do with Mondo?

 

“Unfortunately, neither am I.”  Kyoko stood, brushing off her knees.  “I’m assuming you have contacts with at least one of the members of Mondo’s gang, if not more.  Please call and describe it to them.”

 

“You think this could be gang related?”  Makoto asked, clearly distressed.  “But that doesn’t make any sense.  Mondo said in his New Year’s Letter that he had retired.”

 

Kyoko’s answer was clipped.  “I doubt any of the enemies he made during his time as leader care about that.”

 

Taka scrolled through his phone with shaking fingers until he reached the contact name Taka had insisted he didn’t need, but the other boy had given him anyway.

 

It rang a few times before the click signaled the other line picked up.

 

“Roka! _Roka!_ I’m on the fucking phone! How am _I_ supposed to know what color ribbon to use?”  There was a lengthy, but fond, sigh.  “Uh…yeah, I do like the blue one for the carnations.”  Some shuffling on the other end.  “Yeah I love ya too.”

 

“Alright,” the voice was clearer now.  “Heya Taka, how’re ya!  Is the boss treating ya ok?”

 

“Y-Yukimaru-kun.”  Taka knew his voice was shaky, but he couldn’t help it.

 

Michi picked up on it right away.  “Taka, what’s wrong?”  His voice dropped an octave, sounding deadly serious.

 

“I…”  Taka took a deep breath, the cold air burning his lungs.  He didn’t have time to explain everything to Michi.  He switched to speaker phone, turning up the volume enough so Makoto and Kyoko could hear over the traffic behind them.  “How much do you know about gang signs.”

 

“Well, I’m the new leader of the largest biker gang in Japan, so I’d say a fair amount.”  Michi sounded confused.  “Why? Taka, c’mon, what’s goin’ on?”

 

“Do you know if there’s a gang that uses a bird skull with five stars as their logo?”

 

“Well, uh, yeah.  That’d be _The Crows_.  They’re a pretty new, small gang that we’ve been in territory fights with before.  Just had some new guys transfer over to the _Diamonds_ from them, actually.  Guess their leader was pretty pissed after Mondo beat his face in.  Guy’s a fucking asshole though, so don’t worry, he deserved it.”

 

“Wait,” Taka’s eyes got wider.  “What?”

 

“Yeah, he’s kinda’ an upstart.  Apparently thought if he beat Mondo he’d get the _Diamonds_ and all the notoriety that comes with it.  Idiot.  Also homophobic as all hell, so I managed to get a few punches in too before Mondo finished him off.  Felt real good too.  Think he just got out of the hospital if my sources are right.”

 

Kyoko’s eyes flashed and she snatched the phone from Taka’s grip.  “Where is the gang’s base?”

 

“Wait, hold up.  Who the hell are _you_?  I ‘ain’t telling ya nothin’!”  Michi started getting defensive, not liking hearing a voice he didn’t recognize.

 

“Yukimaru-kun it’s ok!  She’s a detective,” Taka shouted over to the phone, hoping to placate the young biker.

 

“What the _fuck_?”  Michi was almost shouting at this point.  “Taka why the _fuck_ are the police involved?  What?  Happened?Tell me _right_ _the fuck now,_ or I’m hanging up!”

Kyoko handed over Taka’s phone reluctantly, and the latter took a breath.  “Mondo’s gone,” he admitted.  “He…was supposed to be home three hours ago.  It’s not really a big deal though Yukimaru-kun so I-”

 

“There’s a fresh logo for _The Crows_ where he was walking home,” Kyoko supplied over Ishimaru’s assertations that everything was fine.

 

Silence on the other line, before suddenly.  “I’m on my way.”  The phone clicked again, signaling that Michi had hung up.

 

Without a word, Taka slid his phone back into his coat pocket.

 

* * *

 

It took Michi, and a small entourage of Crazy Diamonds, around 15 minutes to pull up alongside the sidewalk where Taka, Kyoko, and Makoto were standing, engines revving.  Michi put the kickstand to his bike down and came over to the wall where the logo was spray-painted.

 

“Fuck,” he cursed lowly after bending down for a look.  “Yeah, that’s them.  That _bastard_.”  Michi punched the wall aggressively and stood back up.  He turned to the small group of gang members he’d brought, some of which Taka recognized.  All of them were focused on Michi.  “Let’s go guys.”

 

“I’m coming with you,” Taka strode up behind Michi.

 

“Taka, wait!”  Makoto reached out for him.

 

“That would be unwise,” Kyoko said at almost the same time.

 

Michi turned around with a fire in his eyes that Taka hadn’t seen from him before.  “Like hell you are Taka,” he spat.  “This is Crazy Diamonds business.  Stay out of it.  I won’t get you hurt on top of this.”

 

“I don’t think I gave you a frickin’ choice.”

 

Everyone stopped.  Makoto looked like he had just been slapped.  “Taka…did you just?”

           

Ishimaru’s narrowed his eyes in a challenge and Makoto visibly recoiled.  Kyoko raised an eyebrow.  “So what if I did,” Ishimaru snarled before whipping back to Michi.  “I’m coming with you.  He’d do the same for me,” he stated simply.  “I can’t just sit here on my effin’ butt.”

 

Michi tried staring Taka down, but when that did absolutely nothing, he muttered something about Taka really being as ‘stubborn as a jackass’.  “Fine,” Michi finally conceded.  “But only because I know you’ve beaten the boss in a fight and we’re running out of time standin’ ‘round here shootin’ the shit.”

 

“I’m glad we’re in agreement about something.”

 

Michi looked Taka up and down.  “But you can’t ride with us dressed like that.”

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, and after bidding Kyoko and Makoto a hasty farewell, the Crazy Diamonds pulled out of the garage of the apartment building with Michi leading. A white-haired Ishimaru, dressed in a white _Crazy Diamond_ ’s coat, was flanking him closely.  No one knew when his hair changed color, but he was also riding a bike like he’d been born on the thing.

 

Everyone decided not to question it.  That decision had been further enforced when he’d re-emerged from the apartment brandishing a very large pickaxe that the older members recognized as Daiya’s old weapon.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DDUUUUUN  
> Yo, high fives to everyone who got who it was. I wasn't expecting anyone to get it because it was like 26 chapters ago but there you go.  
> But where's Mondo??


	32. Meanwhile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *taps megaphone*  
> Hi there! This is where those trigger warnings are coming in cause Mondo is having a bad time and Kuro is an ass. Is he a good antagonist? No. Is he an ass? Yes.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: strong homophobic language, violence, blood  
> Stay safe!!!

 

 

 

Mondo woke up with a pounding headache and a bright light flaring behind his eyelids.  He groaned and went to press a hand to his eyes if only to block out the light, but found he couldn’t move his arms.

 

People around him were talking, but it mostly sounded like gibberish and felt like tiny hammers against his skull.  God if this headache continued any more, he was gonna puke.  He groaned and rolled his head forward, grateful _that_ was at least responding properly.  He wasn’t on the ground either…where was he?

 

“Great,” a deep raspy voice came from somewhere to his left.  “Bastard’s up.”

 

Snickers reverberated around him.  Mondo grit his teeth against the pain and tried to roll his head up to at least see where he was, but upon squinting his eyes open, he immediately shut them again, hissing as bright lights shone down upon him.

 

Could he just sink back into that darkness he’d been in before?  That had been great.

 

Steps came up to behind (?) him.  It was hard to tell with the echo.  

 

Suddenly, he was doused with ice water.  Every hair on his body stood straight up as a chill rolled down his spine.  He coughed, sputtered, and tried to wipe the water out of his eyes only to have his arms not obey him _again_ and just lay limply against the arms of the chair.

 

Wait, chair?

 

Mondo hesitantly opened his eyes again to find that the light didn’t quite hurt as much as it once did and he could get a quick assessment of the room.  It was an old factory floor.  Rusted machinery of all types stood inoperative anywhere he looked, and old chains and hydraulics hung sadly from the ceiling.  Despite its obvious disuse, the lighting in the old building apparently still worked, illuminating the area and unfortunately shedding some light on the situation Mondo was in.

 

Around him, a circle of about eight gang members stood glaring or sneering at him with blatant hatred.  One, a buff guy with a mean-looking lip scar was holding a bucket; no doubt the source of the cold water Mondo had been soaked with. 

 

Mondo was tied to a chair; arms bound with rope to the arm rests and ankles to the legs of the chair.  He was pretty sure he could move a little bit if he scooched himself with his toes, but he didn’t want to antagonize the guys around him.  Mondo wasn’t the smartest man on the face of the earth, but that would have been plain stupid.

 

He tried to level a glare at the men around him, but he knew it probably didn’t come off as intimidating when he squinted against his still-present headache.  His eye liner had probably run off too, now that he thought about it.

 

“Wakey-wakey Shit stain,” a voice called out behind Mondo before he was roughly cuffed upside the back of his head.  He grunted in pain as his head jerked forward and his headache increased.

 

The voice laughed.  “Not so proud now that you don’t got yer fuckers to back ya up, huh?”

 

Mondo smiled in a challenge as he rolled his head to the side, unconcerned.  “Nine to one and won’t even come near me with the gang.  Good to know I’m dealin’ with a coward.”

 

“Shut the fuck up,” a fist collided with the side of Mondo’s face, right against his cheek and his head snapped to the side painfully.  The voice grabbed a fist-full of his hair and wrenched Mondo’s head around to look him in the eye.

 

Mondo would have said he was surprised, but he wasn’t.  Kuro looked just as greasy and unlikable as Mondo last saw him, except this time he was sporting a new dent in his nose and a nasty scar that ran from his forehead to his cheek.

 

Mondo’s face contorted into a shit-eating grin.  “Oh right, sorry my mistake.  You did come after the gang.  Kinda hard to tell it was you though with yer face all messed up and not cryin like a baby.”

 

            That earned him another punch to the face and this time Mondo spat out some blood.  He could taste the iron rolling around in his mouth.  No teeth were out of place though, so he’d probably bit his tongue.  Fucking _great_. 

 

He was about to fire off another retort, he never _had_ learned to keep his mouth shut, when he noticed Kuro’s smug-ass grin.

 

“Yeah, you know what happened Oowada?”  He leant into Mondo’s face and the other grimaced.  Dude could use a breath mint.  “Got in another fight not too long after.  Got sent to the hospital.  Took ‘em a while to fix my damn face, had to deal with the police on top of it too.  But ya know…”  Kuro stood back up with a smile similar to Celeste’s when she knew she’d already won.  “I had the _most interestin’_ roommate while I was there.”

 

Mondo’s eyes widened.  _No._

 

“Guess that fuckin’ flag bearer o’ yours isn’t the only lil fag you keep around, huh?”  Kuro pretended to think about it.  “What _was_ his name again?  Ah,” he snapped his fingers and leaned back down into Mondo’s face.  “ _Kiyotaka?_ ”

 

Mondo strained against the ropes binding him to the chair.  “You fucking _leave him out of this_!”  He could take Kuro.  He could take all of them.  He’d rather be dead than let any of them lay a hand on Taka.

 

“Ooo,” Kuro raised his hands mockingly, “that’s a strong response.”  His lips stretched into a smile that more resembled a snarl.  “S’almost like Japan’s strongest motorcycle gang leader is a little fairy himself.  Though…guess _I’d_ be pretty possessive of anyone who sucked _my_ cock.”

 

Mondo tensed in his chair, seething.  “What do you _want_ Kuro?”

 

“I _want_ _the Diamonds_.”  Kuro spat out.  “Daiya’s biggest mistake was leaving the gang to you.  You never deserved that position, and the faggot you left in charge doesn’t either.”

 

            Mondo huffed out a sour laugh.  “And you think _you_ do,” he asked incredulously.  “If I ‘member correctly, most of _your_ sorry-ass gang came to us askin’ to join ‘cause they were sick of _your dumb ass_ ‘cause you can’t lead for shit.”  Kuro flushed red, obviously a sore spot. “Is _this_ all you’ve got now?”  Mondo asked gesturing to the 8 men around him.  “S’pretty fuckin’ sad.”

 

“I said _SHUT UP!_ ”  Kuro punched him across the face once, twice, and again and again.  On one of the swings, Mondo felt his nose crack and start leaking blood.  None of the _Crows_ were encouraging their leader, and Mondo saw a few back up at the display of unhinged violence with wide eyes. 

 

‘Bout time they realized their leader was a fucking psycho.

 

“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”

 _Punch_. 

“Then I’m gonna kill the gay shit you left in charge.” 

 _Punch_.

“Then, I’m gonna kill yer little boyfriend”

_Punch_

“and make sure,”

_Punch_

 “nothin’s left of ‘im”

_Punch_

“but a sorry smear of red”

_Punch_

“on the floor of this _godforsaken_ ”

_Punch_

“ _building!_ ”

_Punch_

 

The last punch thrown was accompanied by a metal clang that echoed loudly around the abandoned building.  Kuro paused, fist still poised above Mondo’s face.  “What the fuck was that,” he asked the gang member closest to him, who only shook his head, looking a bit shaken up himself.

 

The clang came again, louder this time, bouncing off the walls ominously.

 

All eyes shifted to the back of the factory floor, tracing the sound to the double metal doors there.  Silence hung over all of them for a moment as the sound faded.

 

With one final, resounding _BANG_ , the doors burst open, torn off of their hinges

 

In stormed a group of Crazy Diamonds.  At the head of the pack, holding a pickaxe that had undoubtedly brought the doors down was Ishimaru, dressed in a white Crazy Diamonds coat.  He’d forgone a shirt despite the cold weather outside.  A sarashi wrapped up his lower stomach above crisp white pants and his trademark black boots.

 

And he did _not_ look happy.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suQKGBeYQX4
> 
> I've been waiting for an excuse to put this song in here.  
> Enjoy.


	33. My Boyfriend's Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's save Mondo, shall we?
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Blood, Michi's creative insults, violence, Ishida being a flirty boi, Mondo being a horny boi, BDSM mention???
> 
> Stay safe!

 

 

It took the _Crows_ a couple of seconds to register what was happening, and in those few precious seconds, the _Diamonds_ had managed to cut down the space between the door and the opposing gang drastically.

 

Mondo, despite having a swollen eye and blood dripping down his face, that was no doubt staining the white shirt he was wearing, felt a swell of pride at the sight.  His protégé and boyfriend were barreling down on the _Crows_ with fire in their eyes.  In Taka’s case, it looked like _actual_ fire.

 

Wait.

What?

 

It was Taka, right?  It looked like him…but…would Taka really smash the blunt of a pickaxe against someone’s arm to make it stick out at that weird angle?

 

Someone kicked the legs of the chair Mondo was strapped to and he fell backwards roughly with a shout.  Now, all he could look at was the ceiling of the factory and squint against the lights in his eyes.  Thuds and shouting were all around him, but he couldn’t tell what was going on.  He didn’t know who was winning and who was losing. 

 

He didn’t know if Taka was ok. 

 

Shit, Taka wasn’t used to this.  Sure, he fought Mondo a bunch before they became friends, and Taka was perfectly capable of going toe to toe with any of the delinquents he tried to give detention in high school, but that was a long time ago!  Not to mention that a full gang brawl was something completely different than trying to give Akane detention for starting a food fight.

 

Using the dregs of strength he managed to hold onto after being punched multiple times in the face, Mondo tried to roll his chair around to at least see what was happening.  He was pretty useless tied to a chair, but that didn’t mean he could warn his past gang members about incoming punches.

 

He was starting to make some sort of headway, inching himself across the dirty, wet factory floor with his shoulder when a firm pressure on his other shoulder halted his efforts.  He flinched harshly. 

 

Seems they hadn’t forgotten about him after all.  Maybe they were trying to make a break for it with him as a hostage.

 

Mondo tensed, no longer willing to be passive to the assault now that his gang had finally showed up.  However, as he looked above him, he was taken aback. 

 

Taka was stepping on him, boot pressed into his shoulder strong enough to get him to stop squirming, but not enough to be painful.  He was staring down at Mondo with a certain air of smugness, but there was lust in his red eyes.  There was also a blood stain on his cheek, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t from any cut Taka had. 

 

Mondo shivered.  That was hot.  He looked _really_ hot.  He really shouldn’t be turned on right now; it wasn’t exactly the best time.  But, Taka’s voice was rougher around the edges, almost like Mondo’s own, and damn if all of Mondo’s blood didn’t rush south at the way Taka was looking at him.

 

“Hm,” Ishimaru grinned, eyes hooded.  “Always wanted to get you under me like this.  It’s a good look for you~.”  Mondo gulped.  “But as much as I like you tied up like that, it’ll have to wait.  Let’s get you out of here.” 

 

Ishimaru stood back and flicked out a knife Mondo didn’t even know he _owned_.  “Now, don’t move Big Boy.” With a flirty wink, Taka made quick work of the ropes around Mondo’s appendages and pulled the larger man to his feet.

 

Once Mondo had shaken out the pins and needles in his limbs, he was finally able to look at what was apparently the aftermath of the fight.  Four of the eight side-goons were sprawled out on the floor in various stages of injury.  By his estimates, Mondo thought probably two of them would end up in the hospital.  The _Diamonds_ must’ve been holding back, and the other four must have made a run for it.  Overall, it had been a short fight.

 

“Now listen here you ass-backward son of a motherfucking douche nozzle,” Michi had the much taller Kuro lifted by his neck and pressed backwards into a rather _pointy_ piece of machinery.  Granted, Kuro was still on his toes, but Mondo knew from experience that angry Michi did _not_ fuck around. 

 

“You’re a shitty excuse for a gang leader.  Wanna’ know why,” Michi leant in, practically spitting on Kuro’s face.  “Cause you think it’s just a _gang_.” 

 

He released Kuro and the opposing gang leader crumpled, coughing and grabbing at his neck.  “Don’t fuck with us,” he pointed over to where Taka was holding Mondo up, “or them, ever again, or there isn’t going to be anyone who will be able to piece you back together.”

 

With a sharp turn that made his coat swish out, Michi started exiting the building.  “Let’s go.”

 

They left Kuro gasping for breath on the floor of the dusty factory

 

* * *

 

 

They made it back to the apartment quickly, hoping to get ahead of any police that may raid the _Crow_ ’s headquarters to investigate the noise.  Mondo was shocked when he learned that not only did Taka drive Mondo’s own bike here, but that the former-hall monitor was actually semi-proficient at it.  Mondo shrugged off the fact that Taka never even _touched_ the bike unless Mondo was there driving.  This was a side he’d never seen of the other before, and tonight had already been weird enough.

 

The other _Diamonds_ split off from the group as they traveled, each heading back to their own homes.  It was late for a Sunday night and most of them either had work or school in the morning.  Eventually it was just Mondo, Taka, and Michi riding along in the cold night air with Mondo sitting behind Taka.

 

Michi, despite obvious exhaustion from the adrenaline needed for the fight was reluctant to let them go.  He checked Mondo over for any hidden injuries to which the other swatted at him to stop.  Michi also gave Ishimaru a side-eye, but didn’t press the issue further.  Taka and Mondo pulled into the apartment garage after bidding Michi goodnight.  Taka parked the bike, but made no move to get off of it.

 

“T-Taka,” Mondo tried hesitantly, reaching out a hand to his boyfriend.

 

“I’m a failure,” Taka murmured.  His voice had lost the edge it had contained during the fight, and if Mondo wasn’t mistaken, his hair appeared to be reverting back to its natural color.  “C-couldn’t protect you…I’m…sorry.”

 

“Then, what the fuck do you call that,” Mondo shouted at the smaller man in front of him, who grimaced. “That was some bad-ass shit.”

 

Taka hummed, unsure, his hair now fully black again and his eyes no longer burning as he looked back at Mondo. 

 

“I shouldn’t have had to do that in the first place.  You should have never been taken by them.”  He shifted, easing one of his legs up onto the motorcycle seat between them and cupped Mondo’s face.  “Mondo…your face.”

 

Mondo reached up and grasped Taka’s hand in his own.  “Stop that, I’ll be fine.  I’ve fucked _myself_ over more than any of those shitheads did.  You of all people know that.”  Ishimaru looked away, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 

“Kiyotaka,” Mondo brought Taka’s hand down and grasped his other one, using his boyfriend’s full first name for emphasis.  “You’ve always been there when I need you…and that’s all that matters.”

 

There was a kind of heavy sadness weighing Taka down.  “I don’t know what I’ll do if anything ever happens to you Mondo.”  Taka rubbed one of his pale thumbs gently over Mondo’s tanned fingers.

 

A weighted silence hung between the two.  Mondo leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Taka’s forehead, then trailed down to Taka’s nose, and finally his lips, pressing the kiss there a little longer than strictly necessary.  It hurt his broken nose, and he smeared some of his blood all over Taka's face, but it was worth it.

 

He eased back on the bike with a grin.  “Eh, I’m not worried.  I’ve got the best and hottest boyfriend in the world after all.”

 

Taka blinked at him owlishly. Then his eyebrows furrowed and he blushed a bright red.  He whacked Mondo gently on the shoulder before getting off of the motorcycle.  “Come on,” he crossed his arms, “Let’s go get you fixed up.”

 

“Did I mention that you’re super-hot?”

 

“Please stop Mondo.  I’m too tired for this.”  Taka was walking away.

 

“Eh, you love me,” Mondo called after him.  


“Yes, I do.”

 

“…You’re still hot.  Like, damn.”

 

“ _Mondo!"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FANART!!!!!!!!!!  
> (I still can't get over the fact that super talented artists made fanart for this potato. I scream every time.)
> 
> An evolution of Ishimaru through the chapters (plus a really funny extra) by 2ki8h1 here: https://2ki8h1.tumblr.com/post/180691366212/011218-what-we-could-have-been-doodles
> 
> Michi, Roka, and Yuko along with some of their own OCs, Anir and Hige by isthemedia here:  
> http://isthemedia.tumblr.com/post/180692321308/alright-got-some-doodling-out-of-me-like-i-said
> 
> Please go give these artists love if you haven't already!!!  
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr. I actually have asks open now


	34. Sick of it All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently in the calm before the storm of final exams, and the arc after this chapter is all interconnected. It should probably be like 3 chapters but I had to break up the one I just wrote for nsfw reasons and because my chapters have been getting steadily longer. Long story short, I've been writing a lot.

 

 

As it turned out, not wearing a shirt and then riding on a motorcycle at night in the middle of winter at was not the best idea Taka had ever had. 

 

He woke up a few mornings after the events between the _Crows_ and the _Diamonds_ feeling hotter than how he normally would.  And it didn’t have to do with the comfortable warmth of Mondo spooning him from behind.

 

Taka sat up and his head spun dangerously, vision swimming before him.  A quick assessment told him his hands were clammy, nose clogged, and head throbbing like nothing else.

 

If he was anyone else, he’d probably call in a sick day and lay back down with his still-sleeping boyfriend.  He’d cuddle into Mondo’s chest and shirk his work in favor of a lazy day at home. 

 

But he was Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and he had work today.

 

With a soft groan, Taka shifted himself out of Mondo’s grip and shuffled his way to the bathroom.

 

The shower cleared up his congestion slightly, but didn’t do anything else.  One look in the fogged-up mirror showed him that his face was paler than its normal complexion.  His eyes also had a glassy look to them rather than their usually-bright scarlet.  Anyone who saw him would undoubtedly know he was under the weather.

 

It was then Taka knew, if Mondo found him like this, he’d definetly force Taka to stay home.

 

Taka couldn’t let that happen.

 

As quietly as he could, he finished up in the bathroom and got dressed; padding out of their bedroom in his socks. 

 

They’d been sleeping in the same bed for a few months now, but when they had admitted their feelings for each other, it had become official.  Every night, Ishimaru slept with Mondo in the other’s room.  His own clothes and knick knacks had slowly made their way over to the other room, and now instead of being “Mondo’s room” it was more like _their_ room. 

 

It was a nice feeling. 

 

Even if Mondo pressed his cold feet into Taka’s legs and acted like a giant koala.  He had never pegged Mondo for a cuddler.

 

Taka was almost home free.  He had on one shoe and his coat when his plans to get out of the apartment before Mondo awoke were foiled.  A coughing fit swept him and wracked his body so hard he had to hold onto the wall for support.  But it didn’t stop there.  After the coughing, his nose decided to file its own complaints with several squeaky sneezes that, once under control, had him sighing deeply and retreating back into the apartment in search of tissues.

 

Instead of finding tissues, he found a very displeased, if sleepy, Mondo.  He had healed pretty well the past couple of days.  His eye was no longer swollen, but there was still a nasty green-yellow halo where the black eye had been.  He still had the splint on his nose too.

 

Mondo didn’t look surprised.  “I hope with the way you sound, you’re not trying to go to work.”

 

Taka coughed again.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about Mondo.”  God, he sounded awful.  “I feel fine!”  He tried to reach his normal volume of speaking but only succeeded in letting out a little squeak on the ‘fine’.  He coughed awkwardly

 

Mondo sighed.  “Bullshit Taka.  You look like crap.”

 

Taka grumbled something that Mondo didn’t quite catch.

 

“Look, if it’s about that company policy change meeting shit or whatever, I’m sure a day of rest isn’t going to hurt.”  Mondo reached out for his boyfriend’s hand but Taka snatched it away.  Taka barely caught the hurt look Mondo made before it was quickly replaced with frustration.

 

“I _can’t_ Mondo,” Taka sniffed and pulled his coat closer around him.  Was it getting hotter in here? 

 

“I already took too many days off this quarter to take care of you with the accident.  If I take any more, I know people will start to talk.”  Ishimaru finished slipping his shoes on, back muscles tenser than usual. 

 

“I…I _can’t_.  If I can’t be Prime Minister, then the least I can do is work hard enough to hopefully pay back my family’s debt.”

 

He turned to leave, checking his wrist watch, but Mondo caught him by the shoulder and wheeled him around.  “What the _fuck_ do you mean, you can’t be Prime Minister?”

 

Taka was tired.  He was late.  He was sick.  He didn’t want to be having this conversation right now.

 

“Well including the fact that I didn’t finish university,” he raised his eyes up to Mondo’s, exhaustion evident in his voice.  “I’m gay, Mondo.  I’ve never felt about any girl the way I feel about you.”  His face screwed up, “I don’t _get it_ , as you’d put it.  I could probably marry for political gain…but...”

 

Taka shook his head and looked back down at his shoes.  One of the laces were undone; he’d have to fix that before he left.  “What I’m saying is, Mondo, there’s never been a gay Prime Minister.”

 

“Then who the fuck says you can’t be the first,” Mondo was shouting now, but it didn’t seem to faze Ishimaru.  “Are you just giving up on your dream?”

 

“I didn’t-“ Taka tried to get out, but Mondo cut him off.

 

“Damn it Kiyotaka.”  Mondo looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.  Ishimaru was struck with how handsome he looked even if he just rolled out of bed. 

 

“I’ve been thinkin’.  Back before we were…this.” He gestured between the two of them.  “Thinkin’ how you possibly couldn’t feel the same way about me because yer so wonderful and I’m…me.  You’re goin’ places and I…I’m just holding you back”  Mondo took a shaky breath, and Taka’s resolve to leave wavered just a bit.

 

“But y’know what I think now? That’s some fucking bullshit!  Are you seriously gonna let a bunch of crusty-ass politicians tell ya what to do, or keep ya from being happy?”

 

“I-“

 

“ _Fuck no_!”  Mondo shouted.  “Because you’re Kiyotaka Ishimaru!  Super High School Level Moral Compass, the best boyfriend a delinquent like me could ask for, and yer gonna be the first _FUCKING GAY PRIME MINISTER!_   And yer gonna make me and yer dad super fucking proud and I might just have to shed a single god damn manly tear while you take yer oath even if I’m not with you at that point _BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I’LL BE DAMNED IF YER GOING INTO WORK LOOKIN’ LIKE THAT!”_

 

Without any more room for argument, Mondo picked up a rather stunned Taka, hoisting him over his shoulder and marched back off to their bedroom.

 

“You can do some work from home later if you really need to, but for now we’re goin’ back to sleep.”  He kicked open the door.  “I’ll do whatever ya tell me.  Need me to call that chick, whatshername? Yuko? Or that dopey guy with the glasses? Can’t promise I won’t yell at him, he seemed like a nerd.”

 

Mondo practically threw Taka back into bed - coat, shoes and all – and climbed in next to him, pulling the covers around them. 

 

“Now sleep and get better so you can do all that shit I was talking about, ok?  Can’t have you dyin’ of pneumonia or the crud or whatever.”

 

Ishimaru’s face hadn’t changed since Mondo picked him up.  It had been frozen in an almost quiet shock.  Mondo had just yelled a _lot,_ but it wasn’t the yelling that had been shocking. 

 

He knew Mondo loved him.  The other reminded him every morning and night and sprinkled in a few reminders throughout the day.  But this unending faith in him?

 

It reminded Taka of his own faith in Mondo.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FANART!!!  
> My precious office waifu Yuko and more of Anir and Hige by medi here: http://isthemedia.tumblr.com/post/180707591018/so-medimachine-my-computer-had-a-bit-of-a-hiccup
> 
> Also, note:  
> The rating for this fic will most likely be going up to Explicit with the next chapter I write! I will tag nsfw chapters accordingly so please, for the love of God, if you are reading this fic and you are under 18 (I mean it was mature to begin with, so why are you here?) DO NOT READ THOSE CHAPTERS.


	35. Prince Charming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start of the It-should-have-been-two-but-somehow-ballooned-out-to-5-possibly-more-chapters Valentine's Arc! It's going to start traditionally wholesome and end...still wholesome...but like...the rating change is for a reason.  
> (I can control my chapter size, what are you talking about????)

 

 

Mondo took February 14th off of work.  He explained the situation to his sensei at the wood shop who merely shook his head with a soft smile and a passing comment about ‘young love’.

 

Now, normally in Japan, Valentine’s Day was the day where girls gave chocolates to the boys they liked.  The boys would then reciprocate the action later on White Day.   This presented some issues as both Mondo and Taka were men.  Did that mean they’d only celebrate White Day and ignore Valentine’s entirely? 

 

Mondo figured that, no, because they were both grown-ass men, and nobody was around to tell them not to, he and Taka could celebrate both days together.

 

Not that Taka knew that, of course.

 

Mondo had gone through great pains to make sure Taka thought he was going to the wood shop that day.  Hell, he’d even woken up at the ass-crack of dawn with Ishimaru…which, upon further consideration, wasn’t entirely terrible. 

 

Taka had been a morning person as long as Mondo had known him.  There was some sort of spunkiness about him in the mornings, like he got his energy from the sun itself.  He’d had it in high school, taking it upon himself to wake up all of their classmates _every morning,_ even if a few of them, Mondo included at one point, told him to ‘fuck off’ and threw pillows at his head.

 

Mondo nursed his coffee as Ishimaru bounced around him, clearly feeling better than he had a few weeks ago.

 

“I’m so happy you got up with me this morning Mondo,” Taka beamed across the counter, popping some rice in his mouth.

 

Mondo hummed in return.

 

“Though, I don’t understand your aversion to breakfast.  Coffee cannot sustain you forever!”

 

Mondo pressed his hands closer to the warm mug and bit back a smile at the thought of Ishimaru drinking coffee with no breakfast.  If he was this energetic with absolutely no caffeine in his system, what on earth would he become with the steady intake of coffee most businessmen seemed to resort to?

 

“Alright,” Ishimaru finished his breakfast and placed the bowl in the sink.  “I am off to work.  Please tell Hiromori-san hello for me!”

 

Taka came around to Mondo and placed a kiss on his cheek, lips pressing gently to warm skin.  Before he could bound away and out the door though, Mondo caught his hand.

 

“Hm?  What is it?”

 

Mondo set down his mug with a soft clink and rose to his feet, looking down into the shorter man’s eyes.  God, he loved those eyes. 

 

He gently slid a hand up Taka’s neck and behind his head, threading his fingers into the dark hair.  The other shivered at the action and the intense look Mondo leveled him with.

 

With a soft forcefulness, Mondo pulled Taka into a kiss. 

 

It was just as intoxicating as their first.  Taka’s lips were soft, softer than any man’s lips had a right to be, especially in the middle of February.

 

One hand still cupping the back of Taka’s head, Mondo’s other hand trailed down to press into his boyfriend’s lower back. 

 

Taka got the hint and stood on his toes to press closer to Mondo.  He wrapped lean-muscled arms around Mondo’s neck, completely surrendering.

 

Mondo had found out, pretty early in their relationship, that Taka, though inexperienced in these kind of things, made up for it in his enthusiasm, so, he barely jumped when Taka’s teeth bit down on his lower lip.  Whereas the action would once make him question reality, now it elicited a rumbling growl from somewhere deep in his chest.  Taka smiled against his lips, and Mondo, not to be bested, used the action to slip his tongue into the other’s mouth.

 

Taka whined softly and clung to Mondo tighter, their tongues fighting for dominance, much like the two of them had done in high school all those years ago.  Mondo felt his hand falling lower until it finally found the place it wanted to be.  And damn, he was right about Taka’s ass being soft.

 

However, all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, they had to run out of breath at some point.  They pulled away from each other, mouths still inches apart, breathing in each other’s warm air.  Scarlet eyes met lavender and Mondo exhaled a shaky breath at the sheer _need_ he found in Taka’s eyes.

 

Taka blinked, and in a moment, it was gone; covered over with dignity and composure.  “I have to go, or I’ll be late,” he said softly, lowering himself to the floor again.  His arms unwrapped themselves from his neck and his hands settled on Mondo’s chest.

 

“Y-yeah,” Mondo said thickly, eyes still unfocused.

 

Taka seemed to find some sort of amusement in the look and chuckled softly.  He lifted one of Mondo’s hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the calloused palm.  Mondo made a noise akin to some sort of dog toy that had lost its squeaker.

 

Taka straightened his dress shirt, checking for wrinkles.  “Have a good day, ok Mondo?”

 

Mondo didn’t reply, face flushed brighter than an apple.  He buried his face in his hand, accent thick as he spoke.  “Yer gonna’ be th’ death o’ me, I swear.”

 

Ishimaru laughed again and picked up his briefcase.  “I should hope not!  Then I would not be able to kiss you, would I?”

 

He left after that, leaving a spluttering Mondo in the kitchen in his pajamas.

 

* * *

 

Mondo was determined to charm the pants off of his boyfriend to get back for the morning.  He had already planned something for today, but now…oh now, it was war.

 

He could be suave damn it.  Taka had just caught him off-guard, that was all.  He wasn’t a blushing school girl.  He was Mondo fucking Oowada.  And he certainly wasn’t standing in this supermarket in the baking aisle because he didn’t know how to make chocolates and forgot to look up a recipe before he left. 

 

Not at all.

 

“Hey, Mista’.  Whatcha’ ya lookin’ at?”

 

Mondo jumped about four feet in the air.

 

Standing at his side was a small girl, no older than 7.  She looked like she had just come from school; still in her uniform with a bright yellow hat.  Her hair was pulled back into pigtails and she was looking at the shelves Mondo had been previously with the utmost scrutiny.  The effect of her serious face was comical in the way only small children could master.

 

Mondo started to sweat and look around.  He knew how these things normally went.  Lost kid ends up near a big buff guy like him, mother finds her child and gets the wrong idea because he looks like a thug, and guy gets beat over the head with a purse.  Happened to Masao once.

 

"Hey, uh, kiddo?  Where’s your mom?”

 

The little girl looked up at him, absolutely no fear in her eyes.  “She’s in the next aisle,” she stated matter-of-factly.  So, not lost then.

 

“I like your hair.”  She blinked up at him with big eyes.

 

“Uh…thanks?”  Mondo felt kind of awkward.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like kids, kind of the opposite, but kids were often intimidated by him or were ushered away by protective parents. 

 

The closest he’d gotten to interacting with kids was Daiya and him dealing with a prepubescent Michi wanting to join the gang.  They’d had to tell him to come back when he was older.  Michi didn’t take it well.

 

Mondo turned back to the sugar.

 

“It’s so long and pretty,” the girl continued, before letting out an _enormous_ gasp.  “Are you a _princess?!”_

 

Mondo paused, and looked over to give a perplexed look to the kid, but if she saw his confusion, she didn’t react.  He had started wearing his hair down after leaving the _Diamonds_ , having no real reason to put it up in a pomp every morning other than personal preference.  And when he left his hair down, Taka liked to run his hands through it.  So, that’s what Mondo preferred now.

 

“I saw this movie once with a princess with hair like yours!” She bounced on her toes excitedly, the look in her eyes reminding him of when Taka talked about politics.

 

“She had magic hair, and she’d sing, and it would _glow!_   Does your hair glow Mista’?”

 

“Uh, no?”

 

The girl pouted and put her hands on her hips, all business. “Then at least do you have a handsome prince charming?”

 

Mondo pictured Taka all dressed up, smiling in his crisp suit, and promptly choked on air.

 

“Ohhh!” The little girl brightened.  “That’s why you’re here isn’t it!  Mama said that today is a day where people who are special someones make chocolates.  You’re gonna give chocolates to your prince charming!  I tried to give chocolates to Kesao-kun, but he said I had cooties and ran away from me, so me and Miwako-chan ate all the chocolates ourselves!  They were really good!  Maybe I should just make chocolates for her next year, and she’ll share them with me!”

 

“Kasumi!  There you are!”  A harried-looking woman came rushing over and grasped the little girl’s hand.  “I told you to not wander off!”

 

“Hi Mama!”  Kasumi smiled at her mother.  “Don’t worry!  Mista’ Princess was here!  He’s making chocolate too!”

 

She pointed to Mondo, who prepared himself to be smacked with a purse.  The mother only gave him a soft, apologetic smile before turning back to her daughter.  “Well that’s wonderful, but I’m sure Princess-san needs to get back to shopping, ok?”

           

“Kay, Mama!”

 

They began walking back down the aisle, hand-in-hand but just as they were about to turn, the little girl turned around and waved at Mondo. 

 

“Good luck with your prince charming!  And if he says you have cooties, don’t feel sad!  Chocolate is whole lots better than stinky boys!”

 

Mondo was stunned for a moment, before laughing softly to himself and turning back and finally selecting what he needed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Gauntlet...you remember that comment at like the beginning of this fic about Mondo being good with kids?   
> W R I T E I T
> 
> Come yell at me/ask questions on tumblr @GauntletKnight (for however long tumblr lasts)


	36. PDA Paperwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready to bring back plot points from 20 chapters ago???? I am!

 

 

Taka never particularly liked Valentine’s Day. 

 

In elementary school, his classmates would bring in cards and treats for the entire class…except him.  He didn’t know if it was due to the parents of the children hating him for his family name, or if it was the children themselves who disliked him. 

 

Middle school was worse.  He’d get notes saying that someone wanted to confess to him at this particular spot, only for him to go there and find out it was a prank.  At best, no one would show up.  At worst, the kids who had put the note there would be waiting to beat him up. 

 

The only reason he kept going at all was because he was hoping, just once, the note would be genuine.

 

Hope’s Peak was better, but as the Ultimate Moral Compass, he normally spent his Valentine’s Day settling feuds between rivaling lovers, consoling those who were rejected, and overseeing the detention of the many students who decided to engage in gratuitous PDA.

 

At least at Hope’s Peak he had gotten some friendship chocolates.  Chihiro always made a point to give him some.  One year, the programmer had even molded the chocolates in the shape of Taka’s Moral Committee medal.

 

Despite this, however, Taka still found his feelings about the holiday firmly in the ‘sour’ category.

 

He had thought that maybe today would be different.  Mondo getting up with him was a rather pleasant surprise, even if the other looked like he’d pass out into his mug of coffee.  The kiss had also been really nice. 

 

When they’d first started dating, Mondo had treated Taka like he’d fall apart if Mondo even so much as looked at him the wrong way, but things had changed after the fight with the _Crows_.  Mondo was getting more aggressive with his affection. 

 

It wasn’t like he was forcing anything upon Ishimaru; far from it.  In fact, the blatant display of want in every kiss they shared only made Taka want _more_.

 

He’d thought about it during the entirety of his ride into work.  Of Mondo kissing down his neck.  Of himself running his hands up the back of Mondo’s shirt to claw at gloriously tanned skin.  Of Mondo running his warm hands down his body after pinning him to the wall.  Of those wonderful hands reaching for his…

 

Biking to work was more difficult than strictly necessary.

 

He didn’t know why he was feeling this way.  He knew the cause of course, but he couldn’t comprehend the sheer frequency of these thoughts.  He hadn’t even been this way during puberty.  Maybe that was why.  Maybe he was just a late bloomer.

 

He didn’t have time to ponder over it any more as the minute he entered his office, his secretary, Miyako-san, already had a long list of office grievances due to the pandemonium of the holiday.

 

At least he could understand that.

 

* * *

 

 

He was halfway through writing a strongly-worded email to two women in the office who were fighting over the affections of the same man–who was drowning in their continued affections-when his door slammed open.

 

“ _Hide me!_ ”  Yuko ran into the room and ducked behind Taka’s desk.  She crouched by his knees.

 

Miyako, who was looking incredibly confused and frazzled ducked her head in.  “I’m terribly sorry Ishimaru-san, she just-“

 

Yuko popped her head up over the top of the desk and promptly shushed Miyako. 

 

The older woman looked affronted.  “Children these days,” she huffed.  “I expect you’ll discipline her properly Ishimaru-san.” 

 

Miyako didn’t wait for a reply and turned.  She disappeared out of sight of the door, but Ishimaru and Yuko could still hear her voice.  “Oh, hello Tadamori-san.  Can I help you?”

 

Yuko squeaked and immediately ducked back down under Ishimaru’s desk, worming her way under his legs.  When he just gave her a perplexed look as she rumpled her work uniform in her efforts to get under the desk, she just placed a finger against her lips.  She had a pleading look in her eye.

 

“No need, Miyako-san.  And may I say, you are looking particularly youthful today.  Not a day over 25,” came a low male voice.

 

“Oh, you charmer!”

 

A tall man dressed in a crisp work uniform stepped through Taka’s door and brushed imaginary lint from his tie.  “Hello _Ishimaru_.”

 

Taka sighed.  He had a relatively good relationship with everyone in the office on a personal level, but Tadamori was an exception. 

 

Taka was unsure on the details, but apparently Tadamori’s grandfather had been burned by Ishimaru’s grandfather for some reason or another during Ishimaru’s grandfather’s time as Prime Minister.  Taka had tried apologizing as politely as he could on behalf of his family name, but Tadamori hadn’t accepted.

 

But it went more personal than that.  The only reason Taka had met Tadamori in the first place was because the latter had to be called into an HR meeting about sexual harassment.  There’d been a complaint filed about him about following a coworker around and persistently asking her out on dates.

 

That coworker was Yuko.

 

Ever since that first meeting, Tadamori believed that Taka had only intervened because Taka wanted Yuko for himself.

 

It was a mess of misunderstanding that Taka really didn’t want to deal with right now, but was unsurprised it had come up again.

 

He kept his face impassive and as business-like as possible.  “Tadamori-san, what can I help you with today?”

 

Tadamori hummed, displeased.  “Where is she?”

 

“Hm?  What do you mean?”  Ishimaru steepled his fingers together in his best ‘I’m listening’ pose, hoping it looked convincing.  It wasn’t fully a lie, merely a question, so he was probably fine.

 

“You know who, you bastard.  Yuko!”  Tadamori glanced critically at Ishimaru’s office plant sitting happily in the corner.  It had been a new year’s present from Roka, from ‘one biker boyfriend to another.’  Ishimaru was quite fond of it, and didn’t particularly like the way Tadamori was glaring at it. 

 

“I had some guys tell me she ran in here after I tried to ask where my chocolates were.”

 

Ah.  That explained why Yuko was currently glaring daggers from her spot under Ishimaru’s legs like an angry little Pomeranian.

 

Ishimaru avoided the question.  “I believe we’ve already talked about this before Tadamori-san.”  He leant back in his chair, shifting his feet so he didn’t kick Yuko in the back.  “It was made clear to me that Yuko-san heavily dislikes your advances and wishes for you to leave her alone.”

 

Tadamori rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, like you’d understand anything about love.”

 

Taka stiffened.  That hurt more than Tadamori probably knew.  Taka didn’t like to admit it, but he wasn’t fully confident in his relationship with Mondo.  His attempts at flirting seemed to be working, but there was no way to tell for sure.  And that wasn’t even touching the fact that Taka felt substantially more aroused lately and _didn’t know why_.  Mondo was obviously more experienced in these things than he, himself, was.  He couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy.

 

Yuko must have noticed the tension shift and patted Ishimaru’s knee in comfort.  It helped.

 

“Well, Tadamori-san, even as someone as ignorant in love as me can see that she doesn’t want you if she’s running away from you.”

 

Tadamori flushed red and blustered. “Well, I mean uh-“

 

Taka frowned.  “Now please get out of my office.  I will have this written up in a report and sent to your supervisor by the morning.”  He turned and began typing said report on his computer.  “Or are there any other incidents you’d like me to include?”

 

Tadamori grunted, obviously displeased, but turned and left.  He was muttering about how 'those Ishimarus all think they're fucking geniuses,' which made Taka bristle.  He'd have to talk to Tadamori again at a later date.

 

The minute the door closed, Yuko climbed out of her hiding place with a bright smile on her face.  “Yo!  Taka that was badass!” 

 

Taka sighed and slumped into his chair.  “I’m sorry he’s still bothering you Yuko-san.”

 

Yuko shook her head.  “It’s normally not a big deal, but with today being the holiday and all, he’s been more aggressive.”

 

“Still, I’ll be sure to add it in with all the reports I’m filing today.”

 

Yuko cringed, looking at the stack of papers on Taka’s desk.  “Yeah, I bet you’ve got a lot.  Was wondering why you didn’t come down to lunch today.”

 

Taka hummed, shifting the papers and trying to estimate how long they would take him to type up and send to higher management.  He’d be here a while.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FANART!  
> A really cool-looking (read: hot) Ishida from Medi here: http://isthemedia.tumblr.com/post/180913511358/insomnias-kicking-my-asssoooooo-time-to-promote
> 
> Also, I'm unsure if there is going to be a Wednesday update as it's finals week and the only thing keeping me from throwing in the towel and procrastinating further is knowing how disappointed Ishimaru would be in me. (and anxiety...)
> 
> Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr anyway!


	37. Saucy Mondo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alt title: Yeet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back rolling! Finals are over but I'm still posting this at 2 in the morning...whoops?  
> Enjoy this...this is one of the cutest chapters I think. It's just a giant wall of fluff.

 

 

Yuko checked on him before she went home for the night.  Taka had gotten through about three quarters of the stack of papers, which was impressive as it had been constantly growing throughout the day.

 

“Hey Taka…?”

 

Taka looked up from his computer.  She noted that he had the stubborn look on his face he always did when he was working hard, but that his eyes seemed tired.

 

“Yes, Yuko-san?”

 

She had tried telling them towards the beginning of their friendship that just ‘Yuko’ was ok, but she’d given up trying to get him to drop the honorific pretty quickly.

 

She checked her watch, “It’s five.  I’m heading home.”  She looked up worriedly, “You should too.”

 

He turned back to his computer and resumed his measured typing.  “I’m almost done.  I’ll leave once all of these reports are filed.” 

 

Yuko raised an eyebrow.  He could be here until late into the night if he did that. 

 

“C’moooon Taka,” she whined.  “It’s a Valentine’s!  What if Mondo has a really romantic surprise waiting for you that he’s been waiting all day to show you!”

 

Without breaking a beat, Ishimaru replied, “Unlikely.  He woke up early with me to get to work on time.  He wouldn’t have if he had something planned for today.”

 

Yuko pouted.  She didn’t want to do this, but it was a last resort.  She pulled out her phone and waved it nonchalantly.  “Then I guess I’ll just have to call him and tell him you’re working overtime.”

 

That got Ishimaru’s attention.  He stopped typing and looked over at her, shocked.  “Yuko-san…You wouldn’t.”

 

Her finger hovered over her phone tauntingly.  When she’d gone to the hospital to apologize to Mondo for upsetting him so badly, she had made sure to get his phone number.  He was a pretty big and scary guy, but he obviously cared about Taka a great deal.  He wasn’t that bad to talk to on the few occasions she had.  “Try me Taka.”

 

There were a few moments of tense silence, not unlike a standoff between two rival gunslingers, but eventually, Taka conceded defeat.  He shut off his computer and divided the stack of remaining papers in half, sliding one half into his bag.  He was probably going to try doing work at home, but Yuko wasn’t too worried.  Mondo wouldn’t let him do that.

 

The two exited the building after bundling up and chatted amicably all the way to the train station.

 

* * *

  

Ishimaru opened the door to the apartment, only to be hit with a wave of swearing.

 

“ _GOD DAMN IT! FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!_ MAYBE IF YOU HADN’T GONE ON FOR TWO _FUCKING_ PAGES ABOUT YOUR OWN GOD DAMN VACATION BEFORE THE ACTUAL RECIPE, I WOULDN’T BE IN THIS FUCKING MESS!”

 

Ishimaru thought about just turning around and walking out.  Sakura and Aoi lived nearby, right? Above the bakery?  Maybe he could stay with them until _whatever_ was making Mondo so angry was over.  

 

A loud crash and glass shattering had him abandoning that idea and running to the kitchen.

 

“Mondo!  Are you ok? What-“

 

The kitchen was a disaster.  Dishes were piled up in the sink and the oven was still faintly smoking.  Some sort of rice in red sauce had been thrown against the wall and was still in the process of sliding down the plaster.  Shards of glass that appeared to once be a glass baking dish were scattered all over the floor, probably broken with whatever had been slapped to the wall. 

 

Even Mondo hadn’t escaped the pandemonium, covered in several different sauces.  His long hair stuck up in several different directions. He hadn’t even look this frazzled when he’d been leading the gang.

 

The only thing that had apparently been spared was a tiny dish on the counter.  All of the scorch marks, rice, and sauce had missed it.  It was a small chocolate heart with a single rose laid next to it.  The intention behind the heart and rose was obvious.

 

Yuko had been right.

 

“Taka! _Shit!_ ” I wasn’t expecting you home so soon.”  Mondo looked around, panicked.  “Fuck, I’ll clean this up, I promise.”  He wiped a bit of rice off of his cheekbone, but it stuck to his hand instead.  He gave it a look like it had personally offended him.  “This is what I get for trying to cook something I don’t know.”

 

Taka looked at Mondo, looked at the state the kitchen was in – not _too_ bad now that he was actually looking at it - and looked at the small chocolate heart.

 

And started laughing.

 

Mondo’s brow furrowed and he gave Taka a confused and irate look.  “What the hell are you laughing at?”

 

Taka hated his laugh.  It came out as a loud, stereotypical “Ha ha ha,” but he couldn’t stop.  The whole situation was just too ridiculous.  For _years_ he’d been hoping that someone would make some sort of romantic advance towards him on Valentine’s Day, and now that it had actually happened, it was _this_. _This_ glorious man who had apparently tried to cook something special and had gotten so frustrated, he’d taken it out on their kitchen.

 

It was so _Mondo_.

 

“What on earth were you trying to make,” Taka gasped out between chuckles.

 

“Uh,” Mondo blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, “Rice ball casserole?”

 

“Rice ball _casserole?!_ ”  Taka broke into a new fit of giggles and had to hold onto the counter for support.

 

Mondo crossed his arms, getting defensive.  “Yeah, I know they were your specialty in high school, but I figured because it’s so cold out…I’d…uh…” Ishimaru had yet to stop laughing.  “Ya alright there?”

 

Taka tried to get himself under control and with a massive amount of effort, he stood and wiped a tear from his eye.  “Yes,” he coughed and giggled a little more before swallowing, “my apologies.”

 

Mondo kicked one of the glass shards with the toe of his shoe.  “Was tryin’ to do somethin’ nice for ya…wanted to do somethin’ for Valentine’s Day but,” his hands clenched, “I fucked it up.”

 

“I do appreciate the chocolate,” Taka said softly.  “I also really like the rose.  We should get that in water soon.  Do you know how long it’s been out?”

 

Mondo grunted in response.

 

Taka glanced at the mess the ‘rice ball casserole’ had left behind.  Despite being burnt and thrown across the kitchen, it didn’t look too bad.  Careful to avoid the glass littering the tile floor, Taka made his way to Mondo.  Using one of his fingers, he swiped a bit of sauce off of Mondo’s cheek and popped it in his mouth.  No, it wasn’t bad at all.  Maybe a little spicy, but Taka didn’t mind that.

 

Mondo was looking at him like he’d grown a second head.

 

“It’s not bad Mondo,” Taka assured him.  “Maybe one day, if you work hard enough, you’ll master,” he choked back a laugh, “the _rice ball casserole_.”

 

Mondo flushed more and looked away, grumbling something incoherent.

 

“Mm?”  Ishimaru hummed a query, reaching to swipe more sauce off of Mondo. It was actually pretty good if he was being honest with himself, but Mondo smacked his hand away.

 

“Would ya stop that?!”

 

Ishimaru frowned.  “Why?  I can’t eat the food you threw at the wall.  That’d just be unsanitary.”

 

“ _Well, don’t eat it off of me either!_ ”

 

Taka knew Mondo’s delicate pride being bruised when he saw it.  It was best to not press the issue.  He backed off and ran his hand down Mondo’s arm to lace their fingers together. 

 

“I really do appreciate this Mondo,” he spoke sincerely.  “No one has ever done something like this for me.”  He leant up and pecked Mondo’s nose.  “Thank you.”

 

Mondo seemed placated for the moment.  “M’sorry I threw it at the wall.”

 

Taka sighed and eased back on his feet.  “Well, you’ll just have to go tell the landlord in the morning.  Maybe if you re-do the plaster yourself, he’ll forgive you.”

 

Mondo hummed in agreement and looked over at the wall.  “S’not that bad.  I’ll ask the old man to show me how.”

 

“But first,” Taka cut in before Mondo could continue, “We need to get you cleaned up.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanart!  
> Yuko being the lovely office waifu she is by @forever-unanonymous on tumblr here:   
> http://forever-unanonymous.tumblr.com/post/180963250367/the-character-is-yuko-from-gauntletknights
> 
> KASUMI!! by Medi here:  
> http://isthemedia.tumblr.com/post/181005505593/fine-if-gauntletknight-is-going-to-tease-a
> 
> Also....apparently Rice Ball Casserole is a thing???? I made it up but I looked it up out of curiosity, and it? exists?  
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr.


	38. Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this chapter starts delving into nsfw territory. Not fully explicit until next chapter, but things are alluded to and whatnot. (it's very light, I promise)

 

 

Taka sent Mondo off to the bathroom, ignoring the other’s protests about cleaning up the kitchen.  It wasn’t much, just dishes, cleaning off the wall, and making sure to pick all the glass shards up off of the floor.  Cleaning had always been therapeutic for Taka, as cliché as that sounded.  It would also give time for Mondo to clean off and calm down from the tragedy of the rice ball casserole.

 

Taka chuckled to himself again as he scooped the tomato-y rice mixture into the trash.  The action really had been touching even if it hadn’t worked out. 

 

Back in high school, Taka could only make rice balls.  It wasn’t an issue at the time.  Rice was cheap and fillings could be readily made from easy-to-find ingredients. 

 

Hina had actually been the one to interest him in cooking.  She and Sakura were constantly in the small kitchen trying new protein recipes.  When she’d seen the meals Taka was eating, she was aghast and started inviting him to their cooking nights.  She was ecstatic to teach him everything she knew, and Taka was never one to turn down a learning opportunity.

 

At university, he had cooked a lot for himself.  It reminded him of happier times.

 

He mopped up the floor, wiped down the counters, and checked the hole in the wall.  It wasn’t too big.  Mondo could probably fix it before they got fined for destruction.

 

Taka looked over at the chocolate and rose on the counter and smiled softly.  He reached up into the cabinets, picked out a glass that would hopefully be deep enough to house the stem, and filled it with water.  He slid the rose into the water and it managed to stay; bud looking up at him happily.  From there, he got a knife and broke the chocolate heart in half, planning to share it with Mondo.  He was pleasantly surprised to find that the truffle was dark chocolate; his favorite.

 

The kitchen was now spotless, but Mondo had yet to get out of the bathroom.  Maybe he was just being thorough?

 

With nothing else to do, Taka decided to help Mondo out and get some clean clothes laid out for him; something comfortable.  On his way to the bedroom, he knocked on the bathroom door where he could hear the shower running.  “Mondo,” he called out, “I’m going to get some clean clothes for you, do you have anything particular in mind?”

 

“Uh no, not that I- _wait!_ ”  There was a thud and the water immediately shut off.  Low cursing came through the door.  “Fuck, gimme a sec.”

             

Taka gave the door a concerned look before replying, “Ok, I’ll go wait.”

 

He turned and started walking away, before a shouted “ _NO!_ ” came through the door.  The door to the bathroom slammed open and Mondo practically fell out; fumbling over his own legs in haste. He was adjusting a towel around his waist and his face was flushed bright red; from the shower, no doubt.

 

“W-wait Taka, you can’t go in there.”  Mondo looked terrified.

 

Taka looked at him uncomprehendingly.  “Mondo…what did you do to our bedroom?”

 

Mondo let out an uncharacteristic nervous laugh.  “Nothin’.  Y’just can’t.”

 

“D-do, you not want to share the same room?  I know we’ve never talked about it but-“  Taka could feel the start of tears welling up in his eyes. 

 

Sleeping next to Mondo was extremely comfortable, not to mention since they started doing it regularly, Taka hadn’t had any nightmares about Mondo dying.  The last one he’d had before they’d faded was particularly disturbing.  Mondo had been killed and his remains pressed into butter (or had it been margarine?) that Taka had been forced to eat on too-sweet pancakes.

 

He wasn’t too keen on his psyche doing that to him again.

 

“What,” Mondo sounded confused, “No, fuck no.”  His voice dropped in volume as if he was only speaking to himself.  “Kinda the opposite…”

      

“Then, _what_?”  Taka was frustrated.  Mondo was being especially cagey.  “If the bedroom’s a mess, then you’re taking responsibility.”

 

Mondo let out a long-suffering groan.  “Why can’t anything in this relationship go the way I plan it?”

 

“What?”  Taka was genuinely confused now.  What did Mondo mean? What had he planned other than the chocolate and disaster casserole?

 

“I,” Mondo sighed and fixed the towel around his waist so it wouldn’t drop any further.  “I’ll just show you.”

 

They both walked the short distance between the bathroom and what had once been solely Mondo’s room.  “Just…” Mondo’s voice got quiet.  “Just know you don’t have to if you don’t wanna…”

 

With that cryptic sentence, Mondo gently opened the door to the room.

 

Taka was _floored_.

 

Not only had Mondo actually cleaned the room of all the clutter that they had both accumulated over the past few months, but it was _decorated_.  There was a trail of rose petals leading from the door to the bed, which itself had been covered in petals and freshly laundered sheets.  Several candles had been scattered around the room, and, ignoring the obvious fire hazard, they gave off a rather welcoming, romantic glow. 

 

The reason behind the decoration was not lost on Taka, and suddenly Mondo’s earlier words made more sense.  He turned, and said Mondo’s name softly.

 

Said man, looked up at the name and then quickly looked away, face flaming red.  “Y-y’said you wanted it to be romantic when we…uh…so I figured, what’s more romantic than Valentine’s Day with a bunch of roses n’shit.  Michi helped with that part.  But like I said,” his eyes looked hesitant, scared.  “Don’t feel like we gotta or anythin’, I don’t wanna seem like I’m rushin’ ya.  I just wanted to be prepared…in case.”

 

“Mondo, look at me,” Mondo only grunted in reply, face still firmly pointed away from Taka.  “Please?” 

 

Finally, Mondo looked over at his boyfriend, out of the corner of his eye, face still flushed a brilliant crimson.  Taka sighed.  Mondo could be incredibly difficult when he wanted to be. 

 

Taka took matters into his own hands, literally.  He put his hands on either side of Mondo’s head and turned him so they were looking at each other head-on.

 

Mondo seemed stunned for a moment, and Taka siezed the opportunity.  “Mondo,” he started firmly.  “I’m going to put this as candidly as I can.”  Mondo nodded after a moment of consideration. 

 

“I feel like I’m going insane.  I could hardly bike to work this morning because I was so aroused by our parting kiss.”  Mondo’s eyes widened at this revelation.  “I never understood why our classmates in high school were so keen on constantly touching each other or sneaking into each other’s rooms at night.”

Taka took a deep breath to calm himself.  “I do now.  I understand the need to be in someone else’s arms, to be intimate with them, to have that ache of lustful thoughts, to have that _need_ to be satiated in a way only another person can.  To love and be loved.”

 

Taka closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Mondo’s, still cupping the other’s face in his hands.  “What I’m trying to say, Mondo, is,” he opened his eyes, letting all of his feelings show on his face as apparently as possible.

 

“I _need you_.  _Badly._ ”

 

That was apparently all Mondo needed, as with a throaty growl, he lunged and captured Taka’s lips with his own.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a discord now! So, that's exciting. Message me on tumblr (anons should be on) if you'd like the code to join!
> 
> (I think there was another announcement...but for the life of me I can't remember.)
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr!


	39. **Satiated**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> READ THE BEGINNING NOTE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you! Yeah, you!   
> The person reading this.   
> Are you of or over the age of 18???
> 
> If not, DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER!!!   
> I'm serious. (If I could italicize, bold, and underline that, I would)  
> If you do I will be very disappointed in you. 'Cause that's super bad, not to mention illegal.
> 
> You won't miss anything, they just do the do and then we'll be back to the standard fluff and angst that's about a T rating. Any future nsfw chapters will have those asterisks by the title, just so everyone knows.
> 
> If you ARE of age, and are still here...welcome to 3k words of the fluffiest shit you'll ever read.

 

 

They stumbled into the bedroom and had barely made it inside when Mondo slammed the door shut and shoved Taka up against it, kissing him furiously.  It was like their kiss from that morning, but so much more.  Taka had finally broken Mondo’s restraint, and it showed.

 

Taka whined softly as Mondo’s tongue wrapped around his and one of Mondo’s hands came up to cradle the back of his neck.  Taka felt like he was being devoured, and he loved _every second of it_.

 

Mondo was only in a towel, which meant Taka got to feel almost every inch of his body. 

 

He was well-built; Taka knew that.  He had been in high school, and if anything, the constant heavy lifting required of his job only added to his physique.  Taka was no slouch in the muscles-department but Mondo just had a slight amount more on him, and it did _unspeakable_ things to Taka’s morals.

 

Taka ran his hands lightly up Mondo’s arms, feeling the goosebumps he left in his wake. 

 

His arms eventually found their way around Mondo’s neck and, when Mondo pulled at Taka’s bottom lip with his teeth, Taka’s fingers curled in to claw at Mondo’s tanned back.

 

Mondo shivered and, without breaking the kiss, lifted Taka up by his thighs and pinned him to the door.  Taka responded by wrapping his legs around Mondo’s waist, resulting in both of them groaning as their semi-hard members pressed together through the cloth.

 

“Fuck,” Mondo swore lowly, pulling back from Taka’s lips and trailing kisses up his jawline to the other man’s ear.  “Can’t believe you want this just as much as me.”  He bit Taka’s earlobe, and Taka’s nails dug themselves deeper into Mondo’s back as he let out a groan.

 

Panting, Taka tried to get out an affirmative to Mondo’s statement, but it was at that point Mondo went for his neck.  Whatever he was going to say cut itself off into a choked moan as Mondo’s tongue slowly made its way from his collarbone up the valley of his neck, stopping every so often to nibble at the skin and tasting every inch of the tender skin there.

 

Taka gasped out a whine and arched into the feeling of Mondo’s hot mouth.  Mondo swore against his skin as their pelvises slid together again.  “Kiyo...fuck…I need to get you out of these clothes.”

 

“Please.”  Taka’s voice was almost unrecognizable.  It came out breathy and high pitched; needy.

 

Mondo’s lips crashed back to his own with bruising force.  Taka hummed, pleased, as Mondo shifted his hands to support Taka’s backside and lifted him off of the door.  The show of strength didn’t make his stomach do backflips and the fingers kneading roughly at his ass only succeeded in riling him up even more.  Taka tangled his fingers in Mondo’s long hair, trying desperately to get their lips closer together.

 

Mondo eased Taka down onto the bed and crawled up on top of him, immediately latching back onto the other’s neck and sucking as his fingers trailed up Taka’s torso to fiddle with the buttons of his dress shirt.  But it quickly became apparent that Mondo was having difficulty.

 

With a frustrated growl from deep in his chest, Mondo grabbed both sides of the shirt and was prepared to tear the thing off Taka.  But Taka anticipated this reaction and grabbed Mondo’s wrists.  Using the hold he had on Mondo’s hips with his thighs, Taka arched and twisted, flipping them so a very-startled Mondo was beneath him, pinned by his weight.

 

Taka unceremoniously shoved Mondo’s wrists above his head, and the larger man’s face flushed again; pupils blown out wide leaving only a small ring of that lavender Taka loved so much. 

 

Leaning over his boyfriend until their lips were inches apart, Taka’s voice came out low.  “Mondo Oowada, this is one of my best shirts.  Don’t you _dare_ make me sew the buttons back on it.”

 

He leant back, pressing his ass down into Mondo’s erection and making the other man groan out appreciatively.  He shivered at the sound.  “Damn it Kiyo, have I ever told you how hot you are when you get all authoritative on me?”

 

Taka blushed, but smiled all the same, quick fingers starting to work at the buttons of his shirt.  Mondo’s eyes traced his every movement, his own hands coming up to rub Taka’s thighs absent-mindedly.  The warmth of his hands so close and yet so far to where Taka wanted it was very distracting.

 

“Wait a minute,” Mondo’s hands stopped.  “Are you wearing _another_ shirt under that one?”

 

Taka shrugged out of his dress shirt, leaving him in his undershirt and pants.  “Yes?  You’re supposed to.”

 

Mondo threw his head back into the pillows with a sigh.  “You’re a damn strip tease.”

 

Taka hummed and, with practiced precision, quickly folded his dress shirt.  “Well not all of us are already undressed.” 

 

Mondo chuckled good-naturedly at his lack of clothing and squeezed Taka’s thighs.  “Didn’t mean I didn’t like you gettin’ undressed for me.”  He winked.

 

“Yes, well,” Taka continued, ignoring the flirty comment “I don’t believe you’ll have the same issues with _this_ shirt that you did previously.”

 

Mondo’s eyes flashed as he got the message, leaning up.  Taka shifted so instead of straddling Mondo’s hips, he was sitting in the other man’s lap. 

 

More gently than before, Mondo ran his hands down Taka’s sides, fingers playing with the hem of the undershirt.

 

Taka blew out a shaky gasp as those fingers finally made their way to his skin, tenderly skimming over his hips and eventually running up under the fabric, pushing his shirt up over his head.

 

Mondo threw the shirt carelessly across the room and before Taka could protest, Mondo leant in to kiss him again, this time more gently, but with the same amount of desperation from earlier.  Like a man in a desert to water, as cliché as that sounded.  Taka had never felt more wanted than he did in that moment.

 

Taka groaned as warm skin met his own.  Mondo’s fingers trailed lightly down his spine while his other hand fisted into Taka’s hair, pulling lightly and making him whimper into Mondo’s mouth.  Emotions were racing through Taka faster than he could process them.  It was all so much, and, inevitably, it started to spill out through his eyes.

 

Mondo immediately pulled back, startled, and attempted to scramble back from Ishimaru.  “Woah, woah woah woah, are you ok?  Did I do something wrong?  Fuck.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to push.  We’ll stop.  Do you want me to leave? Fuck.”

 

Ishimaru sniffed and wiped at the tears streaking down his face frustratedly.  “No.  I apologize, I’m fine.”  His voice wobbled just a bit at the end and he swallowed.  Mondo was giving him a look that was equal parts concerned and guilty, but waited for him to explain. 

 

“It’s just…” Taka smiled but the tears were still coming down his cheeks, “I love you so, _so_ much, and…you know how I get…”

 

Mondo’s eyes softened and he gently helped Taka wipe away the tears with his thumb.  “I love you too.”

 

Taka offered Mondo a soft smile and kissed Mondo’s palm lightly before leaning back and coughing.  “So, um, can we continue?”

 

Mondo hummed, running the pad of his thumb over Taka’s swollen bottom lip thoughtfully.  “Yeah, but I need to know how far you want to go.”  His eyes darted away and he fidgeted.  “I, ah…got stuff earlier…when I was out shopping.”

 

Taka’s eyes widened, scarlet eyes shining in the candlelight.  “Mondo, you got condoms and lube?” 

 

Mondo groaned pitifully and buried his face in Taka’s neck.  “Y-yeah.”

 

“That’s so forward-thinking and safe of you!  I’m very proud!”

 

Mondo pulled back, face bright red in a blush that extended itself down to his chest.  “Yeah, yeah, I do have _some_ sense.”

 

Taka considered the man in front of him. 

 

They had only been dating for a month and a half, but they had known each other for much longer.  One could reasonably argue that they’d been unofficially dating since high school with the amount of time they hung out with each other and the almost-constant physical affection neither were shy with.  Looking back, it was no wonder there had been a betting pool on when they’d make it official.  This felt _right_.  Being with Mondo felt _right_. 

 

His answer was simple.

 

“I want _all_ of you.”

 

Now it was Mondo’s turn to be surprised.  “You mean you want me to,” he trailed off, leaving the insinuation hanging.  Taka nodded firmly, his mind made up.

 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Mondo hissed out, lust clouding his eyes and his arms tightening longingly around Taka.  He took a deep, trembling breath and exhaled slowly.  “Ok,” his jaw clenched and Taka reached out to trace the taut muscle with his fingertips, making the tension pulling it release slightly.

 

“You finish getting undressed, I’ll go get the stuff.”  At Taka’s confirmation, Mondo ruefully let him go with one last lingering kiss, and exited the room, bare feet padding down the hallway.

 

A few minutes later, after sliding his slacks down his legs and folding them, followed by his socks and finally his briefs, Taka was sitting stark naked on the bed.  He’d decided that though the rose petals were nice, they would provide unneeded complications later, so he’d brushed most of them off of the crisp sheets.

 

Taka noted, unsurprisingly, that he was shaking.  Though whether that was from nerves or anticipation, he couldn’t say.

 

When Mondo came back, the taller man was still completely flushed, but had apparently decided to join Taka and had taken off his towel.  Upon his entrance, the two men just stopped and stared at each other in comfortable silence, quietly letting their eyes rove over the bare flesh of the other.

 

Taka had always thought Mondo was handsome.  There was something about his tan skin, rugged physique and long eyelashes framing stunning lavender eyes that just made him objectively beautiful.  Taka had never had much shame about his body, he believed that nakedness was just a part of being human and could make incredible bonds between friends as a show of trust.  But for the first time, he felt a little shy.  He knew he was pretty average-looking.  He didn’t even stand on the same level of Mondo in terms of attractiveness.  So, it came as a shock when Mondo let out a breath, and almost-reverently said, “God, Kiyo…you’re gorgeous.”

 

Mondo set down the bottle and condom he’d retrieved on the table near the bed and knelt down on the bed next to his boyfriend.  He ran a warm, calloused hand firmly down the center of Taka’s chest, the other arching into the attention with a soft mewl.  His fingers trailed as if memorizing every inch of Taka’s body, warm palms caressing every muscle, every scar and imperfection.  It left Taka breathless.

 

Mondo’s fingertips stopped their descent around Taka’s navel.  “C-can I touch you?” 

 

Mondo’s eyes locked onto Taka’s.  There was conviction in those eyes, but also a level of vulnerability Taka knew he was privileged to see.   “Yes,” he huffed out in-between sharp breaths.

 

Mondo’s hand continued down, maddeningly slowly, but eventually found its target.  Taka let out a sharp gasp and threw his hand over his mouth as warm fingers wrapped around his length.  Mondo smiled lovingly.  “Feels good, huh?”  Taka screwed his eyes shut and nodded, hand still firmly clamped over his mouth, stifling the litany of embarrassing sounds that poured out of his mouth as Mondo’s hand started _moving_.

 

Mondo’s eyes never once left Taka’s face as he continued moving his fist, only stopping briefly to run the pad of his thumb over the slit as it leaked precum all over his hand.  Taka’s nails dug themselves into the sheets as pleasure unlike he’d ever known washed over him with every movement. 

 

A look down at Mondo confirmed what Taka already suspected; Mondo’s other hand working in tandem, pleasuring himself.

 

Eventually, he had to reach down to stop Mondo from continuing.  Taka had never done something like this and he knew if Mondo continued, this would be over far before anything else could be done.  Mondo understood and released Taka, the smaller man’s cock jumping at the loss of contact.  Taka whined involuntarily and Mondo chuckled softly before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

 

“So fucking gorgeous,” Mondo whispered.

 

Taka whined and spluttered out something about how Mondo was also incredibly attractive, but focusing was hard as the other man kissed his sternum, tongue trailing to lave over pink nipples.  Taka keened and panted, running his hand through Mondo’s wet, already-mussed hair.  The larger man smiled and trailed his kisses back up to the crook of Taka’s neck before lightly brushing his lips against Taka’s.  He leant back and reached for the bottle on the dresser.

 

“Ok, I uh…I’ve never done this before,” Mondo said seriously, “So if anything is wrong or you wanna stop, y’gotta tell me.”  Taka nodded, all-business.

 

The first press of Mondo’s fingers against his ass had him jumping like a startled cat.  Mondo, being as nervous as Taka himself was, immediately pulled back and asked what the issue was.

 

Taka shook his head. “It’s cold.  I wasn’t expecting it.”  He laid out, arms rigid at his sides, steeling himself.  “I apologize for my over-reaction,” he shouted.  “You may continue.”

 

Mondo sighed, half-relieved that nothing was wrong, half-laughing at his boyfriend’s formality.  Only Taka would be laying down like a soldier prepared for inspection while this was happening.

 

“Ok,” Mondo leant forward, kissed Taka’s lips gently and slid the first finger in.  It went in easily enough, but Taka made a small noise of discomfort into Mondo’s mouth.  The larger man pulled back.  “You doin’ ok there?”

 

Taka shifted his hips and Mondo’s finger slid in even more.  “Y-yes…it’s just odd.”

 

“I’m going to start moving it ok?”  Taka took a deep breath and tried to relax.  “I don’t want to brag or anything, but if I don’t do this, I’m probably going to hurt you.”  He started slowly pumping his finger in and out, moving it around, trying to get Taka’s muscles to stretch out a little, spreading kisses along the other’s chest to distract him from the discomfort.

 

After he felt he’d worked the first finger around enough, he added a second.  Taka whined again at the new intrusion, but unlike the first time, it wasn’t one voicing discomfort.  Taka was steadily getting more pliant in more ways than one.  Somewhere along the line, he had started to shake and his breaths had grown harsher, more like gasps. 

 

Mondo watched with no small measure of satisfaction as the former Ultimate Moral Compass fell apart underneath him from pleasure.  Red eyes that once held so much focused determination were now glazed over and unfocused with lust.  He keened softly as Mondo brought his fingers out and pushed them back in.

 

He was beautiful.

 

Mondo curled his fingers, pressing and searching.  He’d done research for this.  Late-night, blushing, private browser research, but research all the same.  Taka would have been proud of him.  He wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

 

When his fingers brushed over one spot and Taka nearly did a back-bend off of the bed, he knew he’d succeeded. 

 

“Ahhhn!  Mon-do!”  His voice broke off in the middle of Mondo’s name, and Mondo decided, right there, it was the best sound he’d ever heard.  He brushed his fingers over the spot again and Taka let out a strangled moan and writhed as pleasure overtook him. 

 

“Pleaaaase…Need you,” he whined, eyes locking onto Mondo’s face.

 

Mondo’s eyebrows raised, but he couldn’t hide the want in his voice.  “Are you sure?” 

 

Taka looked away and bit his knuckle as his hips bucked involuntarily.  He nodded. 

 

Taka hissed out as Mondo removed his fingers and reached for the bottle of lube and the condom, ripping it open with his teeth and the hand that wasn’t covered in lube.

 

Mondo fumbled with it a bit in his haste before successfully sliding it on over his painfully hard length and slicking himself up probably more than was necessary.  Taka was right, it really _was_ cold, but he didn’t want to hurt the man underneath him.

 

Taka was still panting and shaking with barely-controlled need before Mondo lined himself up.  “Ready,” he asked, already full-well knowing the answer, but wanting verbal confirmation. 

 

Red eyes met his, and under the lust Mondo saw the endless well of trust and love Taka held for him.  “Yes,” he breathed out, and with that, Mondo started to push in.

 

Mondo immediately swore under his breath and Taka groaned, all attempts to stifle his vocalizations gone as the two joined.  “Fuck…Kiyo…”  Mondo slumped above Taka, resting on his forearms, biceps shaking.  “So…damn…tight,” he managed to get out in-between gasps.  He wasn’t even all the way in and he was already a mess.

 

Taka wasn’t in much better shape himself.  He wrapped his arms around Mondo’s shoulder and buried his face into Mondo’s neck, spreading open-mouthed kisses to wherever his lips could reach, hot tongue running over even hotter flesh.

 

Slowly, and with a conscious effort to not thrust immediately and risk hurting Taka, Mondo pushed the rest of the way in with Taka whining and moaning in his ear.  Around the half-way point, Taka clenched around Mondo, forcing the man to clamp his mouth down onto Taka’s collarbone and sink his teeth into the porcelain skin there.  Unfortunately, this just made Taka clench harder with a sharp exhale.  Mondo’s subsequent growl was muffled into Taka’s skin.

 

Once he was fully sheathed into Taka, Mondo took a couple of shaky breaths; warm exhales fanning out over the other man’s neck.  He was waiting for Taka to get used to him, but Taka appeared to have other thoughts as his hips bucked.    He wrapped his legs around Mondo’s hips.  “Move,” came the one-word command, and Mondo unquestioningly obliged, moving his hips out and back in, slowly at first.

 

However, as time went on, the pace became frantic, almost as if the two were trying to make up for all the time they had lost.  Mondo steadily learned that Taka didn’t want to be treated delicately, and the cries of “More,” and “ _Faster_ ” interspersed with deep moans and heady whines only spurred him on.  Taka clawed his back for dear life and his thighs wrapped tight around Mondo’s midsection, locking him into place.

 

Mondo, himself, was losing it; cursing like a sailor; burying his face into Taka’s neck, trying to envelop himself in the intoxicating scent of Taka’s sweat and need and occasionally flicking his tongue over the surface to just get a taste of the man under him.

 

Both of his hands were clamped on Taka’s hips, probably leaving deep bruises.  For all of high school, Taka had hated his hips, claiming them to be far too feminine despite his otherwise masculine figure.  But right now, Mondo fucking loved them.  He always had, if he was being honest, but they were the perfect handhold to provide enough leverage to hit Taka _just right_ to get him to scream just a _little_ bit louder.

 

Far too soon, Mondo felt the rise of his impeding orgasm in his lower stomach.  He was about to voice this, but Taka beat him to it.  “Mondo, I’m…nghaaaah! _Please!_ ”  His head slumped back into the pillows as his eyes rolled back into his head.

 

“I got you baby…”  Mondo’s voice came out low and gravelly, hips never stopping as he brought one hand down to Taka’s cock, working it sloppily and quickly.

 

Taka closed his eyes and his head lolled to the side, overcome.  “M-Mondo!  I love you!”

 

“God,” Mondo groaned out.  “Fuck, I love you too Kiyotaka.  Lemme see you come.”

 

With two final jerks, Taka arched with a hoarse scream, white cum spattering the skin of his stomach and chest.

 

Mondo came not too long after that, stilling as his muscles tensed, cock jumping inside Taka who let out a soft whine at the feeling.  After his muscles relaxed again, Mondo carefully pulled out and slumped to the side, breathing heavily.

 

The two laid there for a moment, basking in the afterglow together.  Mondo felt boneless.  He could probably lie there until he died, and he’d be happy, but Taka was already starting to move.

 

Warm fingers traced his shoulder blade and he hummed happily.  “Mondo,” Taka’s voice was spent from all the screaming and it came out softly.  “Mondo get up, we need to clean ourselves off.”

 

Mondo hummed and waved his hand dismissively.  “L’do it in the mornin’.”

 

“Mondo,” came Taka’s warning.

 

With a deep sigh, Mondo pushed himself up on shaky arms, letting Taka sit up.  Mondo shifted to his back and carefully peeled the condom off of himself, making sure to tie it before tossing it in the trash next to the bed.  Before he could get up, however, Taka kissed him deeply, stealing the breath from his lungs.

 

“That felt amazing…thank you Mondo.”

 

Mondo smiled gently and kissed Taka’s nose.  “Y’don’t have to thank me…just uh…” he looked away, not meeting Taka’s eyes.  “Don’t get mad about your neck.”

 

“ _What?”_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Know what's sexy? Constant consent and safe sex.
> 
> I agonized over this chapter since I wrote it. Smut is H A R D to write and is very easy to mess up. I can only hope I did a decent job.
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over at the discord


	40. Morning Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a happy holiday! I'm trying to be a busy little bee and get chapters out, so hopefully expect chapters in the next couple days both for this and for the bonus chapters.
> 
> Note that this is more of an intermediary chapter to kinda tie up loose ends from the Valentine's arc. It's mostly relationship fluff but some mentions to last chapter and thus some nsfw elements. Not explicit though.

 

 

It was a rare morning that Mondo happened to wake up before Ishimaru.  It was a Saturday so neither of them had anywhere to be, but Taka still liked to set an alarm on the weekends.  He must have forgotten.  The previous night had apparently taken a lot out of both of them.

 

Mondo’s eyes fluttered open as soft sunlight streamed in through the blinds.  His thighs and arms ached, not used to the position he’d been in while making love to Taka, but it was a nice soreness.

 

Said man was curled up against Mondo’s chest, head nuzzled into one of Mondo’s pectoral muscles and breathing deeply.  Their legs intertwined, and though Mondo felt that his muscles were tight and in need of a good stretch, he wasn’t about to disturb his boyfriend.  Taka didn’t get enough sleep as it was.

 

He ran his fingers through Taka’s messy black hair, pushing it away from his face.  During the day, he put some kind of product in it to make it sit nice and sleek, like a proper businessman.  But when it was left to its own devices, Taka’s hair fluffed up considerably like it had in high school. 

 

From there, Mondo’s fingers lightly traced down Taka’s face, outlining the cheekbones, his chin, and eventually moving down to the other man’s neck.

 

Mondo had apologized endlessly for the state Taka’s neck was in.  The other had positively _flipped_ when he’d caught sight of it in the mirror.  Almost every inch was dotted with bruises and hickeys.  The parts that weren’t, held the outline of Mondo’s teeth, red against Taka’s other-wise pristine skin.  If Mondo was being honest with himself however, he kinda liked seeing the bites on the other.  Maybe it was some deep possessive part of him that was proud he’d “marked” Taka, but it was probably more that it reminded him that this was _real_. 

 

It wasn’t like Taka hadn’t left his own mark anyway.

 

They’d been sleepily trying to clean each other off in the bathroom, which Mondo wasn’t making any better with his endless comments about how gorgeous Ishimaru was and how hot he’d sounded while they’d fucked, and Ishimaru wasn’t helping with his insistence on making sure every inch of them was clean of sweat, cum, and other bodily fluids, when Mondo had turned, his back towards the other, and Taka let out a undignified squeak.

 

“Mm? What is it baby?”  Mondo wasn’t sure where the pet name had come from, but it was quickly sticking.  When he turned to see what the issue was, Ishimaru was flushed again and pointedly looking away from him.

 

“Y-your back…”  Taka eventually mumbled.  “I apologize.”

 

“What?”

 

Taka began rustling around in the small medicine cabinet behind the bathroom mirror.  “Can you turn back around? I’ve got to take care of them.  I don’t think you’d be able to reach.”  He produced a bottle of disinfectant and a small cotton ball.

 

Mondo, still thoroughly confused, but still coming off of the high of sex and not willing to argue, turned.  Ishimaru came up behind him, and Mondo could feel his fingertips brush softly over his back muscles.  Mondo sighed softly, frame going relaxed at the feeling, but it didn’t last as soft fingertips gave way to sharp burning.

 

“Ow!  What the fuck,” Mondo whirled to where a very apologetic Taka was holding the cotton ball, now soaked in disinfectant with a few patches of…blood?  It didn’t take him long to put the blood, his back, and Taka’s remorse together.

 

“Y…y’clawed up my back?”

 

Tears welled up in Taka’s eyes.  “I’m terribly sorry Mondo!  I got carried away.  I won’t d-“

 

Mondo cut him off, laughing.  “I guess y’got me back for your neck!”

 

Taka flushed even more, down to his chest, and brought his hand up to trace the bites Mondo had left.  “I suppose…”

 

“’Sides,” Mondo dropped his voice and leaned in, trapping Ishimaru against the sink, hands coming to rest on the edge of the porcelain, caging the man inside of his arms.  He brought his lips up to Taka’s ear, the other shivered at the hot breath.  “If you keep screaming my name like you were doing, you can do whatever you want t’me.”

 

Taka squinted and threw the cotton ball at Mondo where it harmlessly bounced off of his chest, which only made Mondo laugh more.

 

Mondo was sure if he shifted now, he could probably feel the scratches on his back against the sheets.

 

His fingers continued their journey, tracing as far down Taka’s spine as he could, just feeling the bones there shift and curve with Taka curling into him.  The man on top of him arched up into the attention like a cat, humming softly.

 

“Mornin’ handsome,” Mondo smiled softly as Taka slowly woke and shifted into a more comfortable position, morning stubble rubbing against Mondo’s skin.

 

“Mnn…you’re warm,” Taka observed, cuddling in closer.

 

“Heh, guess I am.”  Mondo started tracing patterns on Taka’s back and the other looked up at him with soft scarlet eyes filled with love.  Mondo’s heart soared at the look, and, for the umpteenth time, considered himself lucky that Taka loved him back.

 

“How’re you feeling?”

 

Taka hummed, languidly stretching before grimacing.  “My lower back hurts…and my hips.”

 

“Mm…kinda thought so.”  Mondo leant down and kissed Taka’s forehead, hand burying itself back into his fluffy black hair.  “Well, as far as I know, we got nothin’ to do today.  Wanna just have a movie day?”

 

Taka sighed and pushed himself up with a wince.  Mondo propped himself on his elbow and watched with rapt attention as the muscles in Taka’s back flexed and stretched under his skin. 

 

“I can’t.  I brought work home to do over the weekend.  There were a lot of complaints and incidents yesterday that I’ve got to sort through today if they’re going to be resolved at some point next week.”

 

Mondo pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around Taka’s shoulders, perching his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder.  “Can I at least get a good morning kiss before you go do your thing?”

 

Taka chuckled and looked over to Mondo with a raised eyebrow and a playful smile.  “Maybe after you brush your teeth.”

 

Mondo barked out a laugh.  “My mornin’ breath ‘aint that bad, is it?”

 

Taka cast him a skeptical look and slid out of bed, stretching more fully once he was standing.  All of Mondo’s breath left him as the sunlight hit Taka’s bare skin _just right_ , making him appear ethereal.  Like a god.

 

Fuck, he loved this man.

 

“I won’t encourage bad hygiene habits,” Taka continued, taking the time to stretch out his legs in a rather impressive lunge.  “As much as I do enjoy kissing you.”

 

“Mmhm, of course baby.”

 

Taka froze at that, his ears tinging red and a shiver traveling up his spine.  “M-Mondo…why do you keep calling me that?”  His voice was cautious.

 

“I uh,” Mondo rubbed the back of his neck.  “I dunno?  Just kinda like it.”  Taka gave him a weird look. 

 

“I can stop if you don’t want me to,” Mondo started backpedaling.  He knew some people didn’t like pet names, and he didn’t know if Taka was one of them.  It just kind of happened…during…

 

Mondo understood the blush now.

 

“No, that’s not it,” Taka shook his head.  “I just wanted to know.”  He turned, eyes lit up like stars in the night sky.  “Does that mean I can come up with a name for you too?”

 

“I guess if you want to.”

 

Taka smiled.  “Ok sweetie-pie.”

 

“Taka, no.”

 

“Stud-muffin?”

 

“Taka, please.”

 

“Cuddle bug.  Sugar.  Boo Bear.  _Rice Ball Casserole!”_

 

“That’s it.”  Mondo swung his legs out from the bed and lunged for Taka but the other, despite being sore, managed to skitter away from him.

 

“I will find a name that suits you Mondo!  Mark my words!”  Taka ran for it as Mondo lunged for him again, laughing all the while.

 

There were worse ways to wake up.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a bit of trouble with the arc after the next one...hhh pray for my soul.
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or come join the discord. There are so many talented artists and writers in it, I'm a little starstruck.


	41. Puppy Dog Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The support this fic gets never ceases to humble and amaze me. Thank you all tremendously for all the support and love. Every kudos and comment sent my way makes my day just a little bit brighter.
> 
> I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

“Hey old man, where do you want this?”

 

“Hm…over there,” Hiromori gestured to a corner of the workshop, too enthralled in whatever he was crouched over on the bench to look up.

 

Mondo set down the plank, brushing wood shavings from his hands.

 

The place he’d managed to snag a carpentry apprenticeship was in a small barn, not too far from the city where he and Taka lived.  The ride in was always one of Mondo’s favorite parts of the day.  He’d get a kiss from Taka, then he’d be off.  City blocks eventually turned to suburbs, which in turn, eventually turned to rolling hills and fields.  Nothing was growing at the time, as winter was still in full effect, but he couldn’t wait for the spring to come.

 

Maybe then Taka would stop throwing upwards of five scarves at him in the morning to make sure he didn’t turn into an icicle.

 

His sensei, Hiromori-san was a nice-enough guy; mid 70s, thinning hair, round spectacles, and a crisp shirt.  He lived alone except for a small parrotlet that occasionally perched on his shoulder, making him look like a pirate grandpa. 

 

He’d agreed to hire Mondo because Mondo could carry and cut the heavy wood the aging man no longer could.  In return, Hiromori was teaching Mondo what he knew about carpentry.  He didn’t seem to care that Mondo was an ex-gang member or that he technically had a criminal record that involved him going to juvie.  Hiromori just seemed happy to have some company that was interested in what he was doing.

 

The progress was fairly steady.  Mondo proved himself to be a decent student when he actually gave a damn about what he was being taught, and Hiromori taught mostly by example, which Mondo appreciated greatly.  Mondo could now whittle a decently large array of things from scraps, knew how to put a finish on a piece of furniture, and knew how to make a decent dining room table.

 

“Hey Oowada, c’mere for a second.”

 

Mondo hummed in acknowledgement and strode over to where his sensei was sitting, still hunched over the worktable.  He wasn’t working with wood though.  He had a ruler and a pencil and was drawing on a large piece of paper.  Upon closer inspection, the lines formed what looked to be the floor plans to a house.

 

“When you first got here three months ago, you told me that one day you’d like to build a house, yes?”

 

“Yeah.  I made a promise to someone.  Someone important.”

 

Hiromori chuckled.  “Wouldn’t happen to be that boy o’yours?  The one you’re sweet on?”

 

Mondo crossed his arms and looked away. “Y-yeah, it’s for Taka.”

 

“Thought so,” Hiromori smiled to himself and turned back to the paper.  

 

“He says hi,” Mondo mumbled out. 

 

Hiromori placed the ruler carefully back on the page and drew a line with a single stroke, separating two rooms.  “You got yourself a good one there, kiddo.”  Mondo’s mouth tilted upwards.

 

Hiromori leant back from his plans and looked up with old but knowledgeable eyes.  “Once we’ve got you doing counters and cabinets, I’ll show you how to do one of these.”  He gestured to the page.

 

The younger man hummed and brushed some shavings off of the desk as he bent down to look at the plans.  “What are these one’s for?”

 

“New development,” Hiromori shrugged.  “You probably ride by it in the morning.”

 

Mondo tried to remember any new construction projects on his ride, but his recollection was broken by panicked squawking coming from outside of the barn.

 

Both men, Mondo being slightly quicker due to age, raced out the double doors of the barn to see what the commotion was.

 

Haruto, the sky-blue parrotlet Hiromori owned was perched on one of the support beams for the roof squawking and chirping like his life depended on it.  It didn’t take long to find the source of his distress as a small white dog attempted to claw its way up to the bird, whining softly.

 

Hiromori whistled sharply and Haruto flew down to perch on his shoulder, ruffled but okay.  The small dog started to follow but noticed the two men standing there and instantly shied away, hunching into itself.  It was a small dog, probably by breed, but it looked thin.  Its fur was matted in some places and there were pieces of wheat sticking out of others. 

 

A stray.

 

Mondo knelt down to the dirt slowly, so as not to startle the animal, and gently extended his arm.  Hiromori got what he was doing and didn’t say a word, going back into the workshop to calm down Haruto.

 

Mondo waited, hand still extended.  The dog looked at his hand, then back at him, then back at his hand.  He gently began to talk to it, voice soft.

 

“Hey cutie…what are you doing here, huh?  I doubt that bird would make a good meal.  He tried to bite me once y’know.  Nasty lil’ fucker.  The old man likes him though…”

 

The dog’s muscles had relaxed incrementally as he continued to talk.

 

“Damn, you look just like Chuck when he was a puppy…such a cutie.  It’s ok…I won’t hurt ya.  Promise.”

 

The dog slowly, cautiously, began to inch towards Mondo’s hand.  Its tail curled between its legs in fear.  Obviously, the dog had had some experiences with humans in the past that hadn’t been the best.

 

It continued its careful walk over to Mondo and sniffed his hand lightly.  Mondo didn’t move.  He knew from experience to let the animal make the first move.

 

The small dog hesitated for a moment before looking up at Mondo with soulful brown eyes and placing its head into his open palm in a clear sign of trust.  Mondo’s will shattered instantly.

 

Well, looked like he had a dog now.

 

* * *

 

 

Getting his little girl home after work was easy enough.  She was so small she fit in the pocket of his coat and slept the entire ride home.  He had been worried that the sound of the motorcycle or the sensation of moving would have disturbed her, but she seemed too exhausted to care.

 

Even so, he drove extra-careful, making sure to go the speed limit and take his corners without the usual speed-lean combo he normally did. Taka would have been proud.

 

He knew the apartment complex allowed pets as long as they were well behaved, he’d learned that with Chuck, so he wouldn’t have to necessarily sneak her in.

 

There was just one person he’d have to convince.

 

“Welcome home,” came the greeting from the kitchen as Mondo closed the door to the apartment.  Taka popped his head out of the kitchen door to look into the hallway.  “How was work?”

 

“It was good,” Mondo unzipped his coat in what he was hoping was a normal manner.  He could feel the nervous sweat trickling down his neck.  “He’s going to show me how to make floor plans soon.”

 

“Mondo.”

 

Uh oh, Mondo knew that tone.  That was Taka’s ‘I already have all the answers so don’t even bother lying to me if you value your life’ voice.  He could probably get away with playing dumb a little bit longer.

 

“Uh…what baby?”

 

Taka raised an eyebrow and came fully into view, still in his work clothes with a towel tossed over one shoulder. His arms were crossed and he leveled Mondo with a look.

 

Mondo looked everywhere but the red eyes pinning him to the spot.  “Look I uh, don’t freak out or nothin’, but I kinda…shit.”

 

Taka didn’t say anything; just waiting for Mondo to explain.  He didn’t have to.  His coat pocket moved and let out a little yawn.

 

Taka’s eyes locked onto the movement and he gave Mondo a confused look.  Mondo sighed and gingerly brought the tiny dog out of his pocket. 

 

“Um…meet Charlie.”

 

Taka’s eyes went wide and he hesitantly reached out for the small dog nestled in Mondo’s large hand.  She cringed a little, but not nearly as bad as she had initially, before sniffing Taka’s fingertips and yipping happily.  She flicked out her little pink tongue and licked his hand.  Taka laughed lightly and scratched behind Charlie’s ear, his eyes going soft around the edges.  She nuzzled into the attention happily.

 

Taka smiled and then looked up at Mondo.  “You made sure she has no family to go to right?”

 

Mondo nodded.  “Old man told me she was a stray.”

 

“Alright then,” Taka brought his hands to his hips in what Mondo affectionately called his ‘power pose’.  “Dinner is ready, we’ll eat and then you’re helping me give her a bath and trim.”

 

Mondo blinked, blindsided.  “Wait, so we can keep her?”

 

“Of course.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T minus 1 chapter until angst. You all better be prepared.  
> But for now, have fluffy dog fluff.
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or the discord.


	42. Two Men and a Puppy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late update? Late update.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING!!!!!  
> -referenced/implied animal abuse  
> -ticks (the bug)

 

 

They finished dinner quickly, and while they were eating, Charlie had fallen asleep again.  This time she had curled herself up against Taka’s leg, obviously taking an immediate preference for him.  Mondo would have been jealous if the image of his boyfriend eating a home-cooked meal and smiling down at a fluffy white dog didn’t make him melt so much.

 

Taka carefully placed the dishes in the sink and leant down to pick Charlie up.  “Let’s get you cleaned up.”  Charlie wagged her tail as if she believed this to be a perfect idea and snuggled into Taka’s chest.  He didn’t seem to mind that she was getting fur and dirt all over his work clothes, or if he did, he didn’t say anything.

 

Mondo reached out with a hand and scratched Charlie’s head, her tail whacking Taka in the ribs.  Taka smiled softly at the feeling.  “Mondo, could you get the scissors please?  We need to cut her fur before we can wash her.”

 

He kissed Taka’s temple, “Sure, baby.”

 

Some research into if the shampoo they had would work on a dog and also how much of her fur to cut later, the three were in the bathroom.  Taka had abandoned his dress shirt, and Mondo had gotten out of his jacket.  Both of their pant legs were rolled up and towels covered almost every inch of the floor.  Mondo even remembered to bring a plastic bag to put all of her excess fur in when they were done.  Past memories resurfaced of a much younger him covered in white fur while Daiya took pictures instead of helping as Chuck wiggled in his arms.

 

Everything was going smoothly until Taka brought out the scissors.  Charlie caught sight of them and immediately tried to make a break for it, attempting to jump out of the bathtub and yipping furiously.

 

Taka looked a little startled and took a step back.  “Wh-what is it?  Is she ok?”

 

Mondo hummed and picked her up.  She struggled against him, shaking, and crying.  It broke his heart but she needed to calm down before she hurt herself.  “It’s ok baby girl…It’s ok I promise.  We aren’t gonna hurt ya…”

 

Taka’s eyes grew wide and watery, putting the pieces together. “Sh-she…somebody…?”

 

“I don’t know for sure.”  Mondo sighed as Charlie stopped squirming but continued to shake in his arms.  “She’s a stray…anything could have happened.”

 

Tears started bubbling over Taka’s lashes and he scrubbed at his eyes.  “T-that’s _terrible!_ She’s so tiny!”

 

Charlie paused in Mondo’s arms and looked over at where Taka was sobbing.  She whined softly, not understanding why the man with the flashy, pointy object was so upset.  With the hand he wasn’t using to cradle her, Mondo ran his fingers softly down her back.  He then reached out with the same hand to cup Taka’s cheek.  “Babe...baby…it’s ok.  She’s here now.”

 

Taka’s sobs eventually faded into hiccups and he wiped the tears and snot away with the heel of his palm, taking a shuddering breath.  He wiped his hand on one of the many towels lying around and gingerly reached out to Charlie.  She flinched a little, but let Taka pet her white fur.  Taka smiled and slowly brought out the scissors again.  Mondo tightened his grip on the small dog in case she decided to run again.  But both he and Charlie were surprised when instead of reaching the scissors out to the dog, Taka brought them to his own hair.

 

One snip later and Taka was holding out a piece of his hair out to the dog to sniff.  She did, gently, and when she was done, she looked between the two men.  She huffed and relaxed, seemingly understanding what needed to be done.

 

From there, it was relatively easy.  Charlie only flinched a couple of times as the scissors snipped away the excess fur on her.  Soon her eyes were completely visible, followed by her ears and tail.  Mondo had suspected that she was some sort of Maltese mix by her fur color and texture, but the haircut proved it.  She was the spitting image of Chuck when he was a puppy.

 

Once all the fur had been cut away, leaving Charlie with a short coat of fluffy white fur, Taka produced a pair of tweezers and started rifling through the strands on her hind legs.  Mondo groaned, realizing what Taka was looking for.  “We’re gonna to have to do a tick check after this aren’t we?”

 

Taka hummed and used the tweezers to get something off of Charlie.  She yelped and tried to bite him, but Mondo was faster, gently holding her head in place.  “I’m afraid so…”  Taka placed the small brown bug on an index card he had also brought.  “We’ll also need to be vigilant for lyme.  However, we’re lucky she didn’t have lice or a more-dangerous tick.  This one’s pretty common.”  Taka pulled a few more ticks off of Charlie and threw the index card into the bag with the fur before taking it out to the trash and instructing Mondo to get some water in the tub.

           

Mondo heard the front door close and looked down at Charlie.  She looked up at him and wagged her tail, tongue peeking out of her mouth as she panted.  He chuckled.

 

Daiya had been adamant when they’d gotten Chuck that Mondo would be the one taking care of him.  Giving him baths, taking him on walks, the full gambit.  That wasn’t to say that Daiya and Chuck hadn’t liked each other, but if anyone asked either of the Oowada brothers, Chuck was Mondo’s dog.  It was some form of teaching method, Mondo was sure.

 

It was odd how despite the years, he still knew how to go about washing a dog with the least amount of splash possible.  It helped that Charlie seemed to appreciate the warm water and suds washing the dirt out of her skin. 

 

Between the swishing of water and the dripping as water poured over Charlie’s head, Mondo began talking to her.

 

“You’re a cute little girl aren’t ya?  Yes, you are.  M’glad Taka let y’stay.  Even if he hadn’t, I wasn’t gonna let you go back to living out there.  He’d just have to fuckin’ deal.  It’s a good thing he’s here though, huh?  I’d probably be a terrible dad and spoil you rotten, wouldn’t I?  You’d just have to bat those pretty brown eyes at me and I’d even get ya that fancy-shmancy wet food with all the organic shit in it.”

 

“Mondo!”  The front door closed again.  He hadn’t even realized Taka had returned.  “You better not be teaching her any curse words!”

 

Said man came back into the bathroom and kicked off his shoes again, face flushed pleasantly from the cold outside.  Mondo chuckled as Charlie squirmed, trying to run to Taka.  “Of course not!”

 

Taka squinted and regarded Charlie. “Has he been teaching you bad words,” he pointed accusingly at Mondo.  Charlie yipped in agreement and shook, spraying both men in doggy bath water.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ROKA! MY BOY! by Medi here: http://isthemedia.tumblr.com/post/181716690903/heeeeey-its-been-a-few-posts-since-i-last-gushed  
> (Is it obvious I don't know how to hyperlink???)
> 
> Next chapter is angst. You've been warned.  
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or on the discord


	43. Fault and Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the angst train! toot toot
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER (I'm serious about these ones)
> 
> PTSD flashbacks  
> Panic attacks  
> Self-hatred  
> Canon character death reference  
> Abandonment issues  
> Survivor's Guilt  
> Homophobia Reference
> 
> STAY SAFE!

 

 

One of the earliest lessons Mondo learned as a kid, was that if things were going well, they didn’t stay that way for long.

 

He had a steady job, a wonderful boyfriend, and even a new dog who slept in his lap as he and the love of his life sat together watching the news. 

 

It was no wonder he didn’t keep track of the calendar as March faded into April.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Ya think yer hot shit huh?  Just cause yer fuckin’ older than me huh?  Can’t wait to see me fuckin’ fail so you can come back and be the fuckin savior or some shit.  Fucking answer me!”_

_“Mondo…”_

_"Don’t fucking look at me like that!  I won’t be pitied by you!”_

_"I know what the guys have been sayin’.  But you’re better than that.  You know that, and I know that.”_

_“You don’t know anything.  Fuckin’ nothin’ ya hear me!”_

_“I know enough to know you’re scared.”_

_“Tch.  I’m not fuckin’ scared.”_

_“You are…”_

_“Shut it.”_

_“You’re scared of disappointing them…disappointing me…disappointing yourself.”_

_“SHUT THE FUCK UP!  I’m not fucking scared!  I’m stronger than you!  I’m stronger than any of those assholes!”_

_“I know you are-”_

_“And I’m gonna prove it.  Get on yer damn bike.”_

_“Mondo…we don’t need to do this.”_

_“I SAID GET ON YOUR DAMN BIKE, DAIYA!”_

_But it didn’t look like Daiya.  It didn’t look like Daiya driving down the road telling him to stop pulling the little tantrum he was having.  It didn’t look like Daiya kicking him out of the way of the bright headlights as a horn blared into the spring night air.  It didn’t look like Daiya bleeding out in his arms._

_No…he was too short.  His eyes as he closed them were far too red.  And as his life left him, the words weren’t the same…_

_“Mondo…I love you.”_

* * *

 

 

Mondo woke up with a quick shout, flinging the covers off of the bed, suddenly feeling too constricted.  Though, apparently Taka had been clinging to Mondo in his sleep.  As Mondo quickly sat up, the Taka’s arm slipped from around his torso and smacked the smaller man in the face.

 

“What’s going on! Who’s there?”  Taka sat up quickly, shoulders tense and eyes wide, but obviously still not fully awake yet. 

 

Mondo couldn’t find it in himself to answer.  He thought he was over these dreams?  It had been nearly a decade now.  He’d even had that weird hallucination while he was in the hospital of Daiya forgiving him.  That should have been the end, right?  Why was he forced to relive the worst day of his life over and over again in vivid technicolor?  And why was Ishimaru there now? 

_Ishimaru_.

 

He turned, and in one fluid, but desperate action, he pulled Taka into a hug that would have been bone crushing to anyone but them.

 

“Mondo,” Taka started to ask, but dropped the subject quickly.  It was only as his boyfriend returned the hug that Mondo realized how badly he was shaking.

 

He buried his face into Taka’s neck, breath coming out in sharp gasps.  Taka gently ran his hands down the arch of Mondo’s spine in an attempt to be comforting.  It was almost a mirror image to that first nightmare Ishimaru had endured a lifetime ago, bent over the toilet, vomiting up bile as terrifying images raced through his head.

 

Taka’s voice came out softly.  “Mondo…do you want to talk about it?”

 

The larger man shook his head immediately, nose crushing into Taka’s jugular in the process.  No.  He could never tell Taka; never tell _anyone_ what really happened that night.

 

He could only imagine what would happen. 

 

He wasn’t the leader of the gang anymore, but that didn’t mean the truth wouldn’t carry consequences.  Michi was leader on his say so.  If it came out what really happened, Michi would get challenged on all sides; by other gangs, by the Diamonds themselves.  Maybe even by the gang members he’d thrown out when Michi had come out to all of them, who had called him all manner of disgusting names.

 

Taka.  Handsome, caring, _moral_ Taka would never date someone he considered a murderer.  Wouldn’t even want to be friends with one.  He’d leave, and Mondo would never see him again.  Maybe Mondo had been ok with that at one point, but he wasn’t any more.  He knew what it was like to love and to be loved by someone.  To have someone actually think he was _worth a damn._ He knew losing _that_ would be devastating…maybe even more than losing Daiya.

 

No, he couldn’t tell anyone.

 

But suddenly, he felt horrible.  Every stroke of Ishimaru’s fingers over his skin felt like scorching fire waiting to consume him.  He was a liar.  Ishimaru wasn’t in love with him, he was just in love with the lie Mondo had been living all these years.  The lie he was _still_ living.

 

The lie that he hadn’t committed fucking fratricide.

 

He pulled back forcefully from the hug and watched as Ishimaru’s eyes changed, suddenly concerned.  _Wrong_.  Someone as good as Ishimaru shouldn’t be that concerned about some fuck like him.  Shouldn’t _love_ a _murderer_.

 

He felt his breathing rate climbing but he couldn’t fucking stop.  He vaguely recognized Ishimaru’s voice speaking to him.  It sounded so far away, like he was underwater.  “Recite…motto…demy…How many….pres…kura…”

 

Hand pressed themselves to the side of his head and a face came into view.  Ishimaru, with tears streaming down his cheeks.  He looked sad…he shouldn’t look sad, but his voice began coming in clearer.

 

“Mondo, I need you to think!  What is four times seven?”

 

Why was this important?  “Uh, 28…I think,” he managed to get out around gasps.

 

“Good,” Taka smiled through the tears, relief filling his eyes.  “Five times seven.”

 

“35.”

 

“Six times seven.”

 

“Um…42?”

 

“Seven squared.”

 

“49.  What-?”

 

Ishimaru cut him off, eyes searching Mondo’s.  “Are you feeling better?”

 

Mondo took stock of himself.  He was no longer gasping for breath and his heart rate had slowed substantially.  Taka brought his hands down to Mondo’s hands and gave them a squeeze.  “You were having a panic attack.  I was trying to distract you,” he explained simply.  Mondo didn’t need to ask to know that Ishimaru knew what to do from personal experience.

 

“S-sorry,” Mondo’s voice was raw and dry from the hyperventilating.

 

“Mondo,” Taka’s voice was gentle.  “Has this happened before?”  He was looking up at Mondo with such concern in those deep crimson irises; concern Mondo didn’t _deserve_.

 

Mondo looked away, mouth pressed into a firm line, refusing to answer.

 

Taka bit his bottom lip and leant forward.  “Mondo you can tell me.”

 

Mondo’s head buzzed with everything he refused to say.  On one hand, he knew the minute he opened his damn mouth, it would all come spilling out: Daiya, his guilt, his inadequacy.  But on the other hand, he couldn’t risk losing Taka.

 

He looked over at Taka.  At the wonderful man who had picked him up, dusted him off, and made him think he was worth a damn.

           

He couldn’t lie to a man like that.  Taka didn’t deserve to date a murderer.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can be forgiven, but you also have to forgive yourself.
> 
> Come yell at me on my tumblr @GauntletKnight or over on the discord where I'm known simply as "Mom" "Mum" "Mother" and "Mumther"


	44. Strength

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd chapter of angst! toot toot
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS!  
> canon character death mention  
> non-canon character death mention  
> suicidal ideation  
> survivor's guilt  
> bullying  
> g h o s t s???

 

 

April 13th turned out to be a beautiful Saturday.  Warm, as Mother Nature shook off the dregs of winter and fully progressed to spring.  Not a cloud was to be found in the sky.

 

It was a perfect day.

 

And Mondo was about to lose everything.  Again.

 

“Where exactly are we going, Mondo?”

 

Mondo closed the apartment door with a sigh, noting that Charlie was taking a nap in the little doggy bed they had bought her during her first week home.  “Not far,” he said softly, turning briskly and walking down the stairs. 

 

Taka ran to catch up with him, and when the other did, Mondo stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked down.  Over the past couple of days, he’d been growing steadily more distant from Ishimaru.  No kissing, no hand-holding, and no sleeping together.  Though, Taka didn’t know about the last one.  Mondo would wait until the other man had drifted off into sleep before gently extricating himself from his boyfriend’s embrace and sitting, curled up on the couch, unable to sleep.  He would watch the sunrise, and Taka would wake up and pad into the living room, remarking that Mondo getting up early was a surprise.

 

Mondo knew the lack of sleep was starting to get to him, and Taka was starting to get concerned, but…he just…couldn’t.

 

* * *

 

 

The first stop they made that day was to a small flower shop that Mondo recognized, but Taka did not.

 

Tatsuro Family Flowers may have been a small shop, but it was rather beautiful on the inside.  Large bouquets had been placed in crystal vases in the window, and smaller ones lined one of the side walls.  An elegant cooler held beautiful roses in full bloom, decorated with baby’s breath and ferns.  The counters and floors were all spotless despite the amount of petals and leaves that no-doubt fell upon it day after day.  A spider fern hung over the door, which gave off a pleasant ding as they entered.

 

The sound alerted the young man behind the desk, and Taka realized that he knew him.  Natural red hair that stuck up into spikes on one side but remained flattened on the other, a freckled face, and kind, almost cow-like eyes.  He gave a slight smile as they entered, but Taka noticed his eyes looked sad.

 

“Welcome, Oowada-san, Ishimaru-san.  It’s a pleasure to see you both again, but I will admit, I wish it were on better terms.” 

 

Mondo’s voice came out stiff.  “Kid, I already told ya, you can just call me Mondo.”

 

Roka nodded, hair flopping in his face.  “Y-yes, of course.  Let me go get your arrangement.”

 

Taka gave Mondo a confused look, but if the taller man noticed, he didn’t react.  Roka returned after a short while, cradling a bouquet of purple and gold flowers.  He gently handed the bouquet over to Mondo.

 

“Thanks kid,” Mondo nodded at Roka.  “How much do I owe ya’?”

 

“Ah, nothing,” Roka shook his head.  “They’re on me today.  My darling told me what they are for, and I cannot charge you in good consciousness for such a request.”

 

Surprise flickered across Mondo’s eyes for a second but was quickly replaced with resignation.  “Thanks.  Tell Michi thanks too.”

 

Roka nodded, but hesitated.  “Ah Oowa- um, Mondo?”  Roka placed a freckled hand on Mondo’s shoulder.  “I know this might be a bit late, but I’m so sorry.”  Mondo’s shoulders tensed and he coughed softly.

 

“Let’s go,” he addressed Taka before turning and quickly exiting the shop.

 

Taka was torn.  Mondo was clearly upset, but why?  Roka also looked upset, but also his eyes betrayed a level of understanding at the rude behavior.

 

The motorcycle outside the shop revved in warning, and Taka left the shop briskly.

 

* * *

 

Taka didn’t have any expectations about where they were headed, and yet still found himself surprised when Mondo pulled up alongside a small cemetery just outside of the city, in a quiet suburb.

 

He quietly dismounted the bike and made his way in amongst the graves.  He didn’t look to see if Taka was following him.

 

Together, they walked in amongst the headstones and various family plots.  Mondo stopped at a patch of grass with a small headstone and knelt down, placing the bouquet in front of the grave.  “Hey, aniki,” he whispered so quietly Taka almost didn’t hear him.

 

Kneeling, himself, and glancing at the headstone, Taka saw a single name engraved into the stone.

 

_Daiya Oowada_

_May 22, 1990 – April 13, 2013_

           

Underneath the name was a symbol Taka recognized as the Crazy Diamond’s insignia.  All the pieces fell into place.

 

“This is your brother,” he asked Mondo, already knowing the answer.

 

“Yeah.”  Mondo’s voice sounded heavy.  “He was a damn good one too.  Practically raised me ‘cause our old man sure as hell wasn’t gonna.  Aniki was like a god to me.  I wanted to be just like him.”

 

Mondo fisted his hand into the gravel walkway, the rocks crunching against each other.  His shoulders tensed and then he released a shaky breath.  Taka’s eyes widened as he glanced over and saw tears tracing their way down Mondo’s cheeks.

 

“I killed him Kiyotaka.  I killed my own god damn brother,” Mondo choked out around his tears.

 

Taka felt his blood freeze like ice.  “W-what?”

 

Mondo instantly rounded on Taka, eyes full of angry tears.  “I killed my brother.  I’m a _murderer_.  I don’t deserve you.  I don’t deserve Charlie.  I don’t deserve any of the good things in my life.”  His voice softened, coming out as more of a whimper.  “The only thing I deserve is to be here instead of him.” 

 

When Taka didn’t answer, only looking at him, shocked, Mondo’s jaw clenched and he looked away.  “You can leave now.  That’s all I wanted to tell ya’.  Don’t feel like you ever have to talk to scum like me again, ok?”

 

A silence stretched out between them.  A gentle breeze made its way through the columns of graves.  Ishimaru wasn’t moving to leave.

 

“What happened, Mondo?”  Taka’s voice was firm.  Mondo looked over, prepared to launch into another self-hatred tirade, but the look on Taka’s face stopped him.  “I want you to explain to me what happened.  I don’t believe you’re a killer.  Make me _understand_.”

 

Mondo scrubbed the tears out of his eyes, no-doubt smudging his eyeliner, and shifted his focus to the grave.  Looking at a rock was easier than looking the love of his life in the eye and watching the hatred cloud the eyes that used to look at him with so much love.

 

He told Ishimaru about that night eight years ago.  About Daiya’s retirement, the horrible things Mondo said, the challenge, and the ensuing race.  He told Ishimaru how Daiya pushed him out of the way and got hit by the truck; how Mondo held his only family in his arms as he bled out and went cold.  How the police had practically had to pry him off of his brother’s body.  He told of the lies he told the gang, how his leadership was just a sham, and the fear he’d been living with of not keeping the last promise he made to his brother. 

 

He found that because all of this had been kept inside for so long, the more he spoke, the more seemed to pour out of his mouth, like ripping a scab off of a deep wound.  It had been early afternoon when they arrived, but when he finished, pinks and oranges were starting to filter into the sky. 

 

Mondo fully expected Taka to leave.  To condemn him and go find someone who could _actually_ make him happy.

 

The response surprised him.

 

“I know what you’re feeling.”  Taka’s voice was soft, a quiver underlying the words.  Mondo was going to retaliate, because how the _hell_ did Ishimaru know how he felt. 

 

“My mother she…” he swallowed.  “She passed away giving birth to me.”

 

Oh.

 

“I never knew her,” Taka continued, not addressing Mondo’s shock.  “But from what my father says, she was a wonderful woman.”  He fisted his hands into the fabric of his pants. 

 

“When I was a child, I was bullied a lot, for various reasons.  I used to wonder why.  Why was I allowed to live, being the scum that these children seemed to think I was, when a wonderful woman like my mother had to die for me.  It didn’t seem fair. 

 

“My father was always stressed, trying to care for me, and constantly in the public eye after my grandfather’s disgrace.  Some nights I could hear him crying in front of my mother’s shrine we had in our house.

 

“Those nights…I…” Taka’s eyebrows scrunched together in a hurt look Mondo hoped he would never have to wear again.  “I wished that I could die if it would bring my mother back.”

 

Mondo’s eyes widened at this admission.  Taka had always been the strong one, emotional outbursts aside.  Sure he could tire himself out, but seeing this _defeat_ in someone who was the most driven person he knew…it was jarring.

 

Taka raised his head resolutely.  “But then I realized what a gift she gave me.  I could live my life for her.  I could succeed for her.  She gave me a reason not to waste the gift she had given me.”  He turned to look at Mondo, tears shining brightly in his red eyes and a sad smile on his lips. 

 

“Don’t waste the gift your brother gave you.”

 

Mondo slumped into Taka, and for the first time in eight years, he allowed himself to grieve for his brother with loud, heaving sobs.  Taka clutched him tightly, fingers digging into his back.  He buried his face into the other man’s soft hair.

 

Behind them, a man with black hair and lavender eyes smiled softly.  A woman next to him with thick hair hanging down in a braid and a kind face nodded to him.  Together they disappeared.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I was looking up flowers for the bouquet, I was delightfully surprised that they were all either purple or gold, the colors I associate with Mondo other than black and white.
> 
> The flowers and their meanings are:  
> purple hyacinth (sorrow, regret)  
> marigold (despair, grief)  
> violet (loyalty)  
> hyssop (sacrifice)
> 
> Come yell at me about Mondo finally getting the help he needs and deserves over at my tumblr @GauntletKnight or on the discord


	45. Small Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things to note in this chapter: I am NOT a psychiatrist and my assessment shouldn't be taken for actual advice. Also! Therapy sucks, but it does help.

 

 

Despite his protests about doing such a thing, Taka set up an appointment for Mondo to meet with a psychiatrist.

 

“No, no, no, _fuck_ no.”  Mondo shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth in finality.  “I’m nosht ‘unna ‘o.”

 

Taka gave him a flat look, obviously not impressed with the way he was speaking with his mouth full.  “It’s just a consultation, Mondo.  I really think you should go.”

 

Mondo swallowed the sugar puffs in his mouth, lips stretched into a thin, sour line.  “I don’t need to go see some doc making money off of tellin’ people they’re crazy.”

 

“Mondo,” Taka reached out and gently took Mondo’s hand.  “I never said you were crazy…but I _do_ think you should talk to someone who’s more qualified to help you than I am.”

 

Mondo grumbled in response, displeased.

 

“I had a few meetings at the same office when I first got sick at university.  It helped.  By law, everything you tell them is confidential.  Not even _I_ would know what you tell them.”  Mondo didn’t look up from his cereal; shoving another spoonful into his mouth. 

 

“Please, Mondo.  Go for me.  I’m worried about you.”

 

He huffed, finally looking up at Taka’s eyes.   “Fine…but only once.”

 

Taka’s smile lit up the room.  “I’m so proud of you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Mondo went back to his cereal.  He didn’t like it when it got soggy.

 

“Oh!  Also, when you finish, don’t forget to vote!”  Ishimaru stood, picking up his own empty bowl.  “This election is very important!”

 

Mondo had no doubts that Ishimaru said that about _every_ election, but still nodded.  Taka gave him a smile and kissed him gently before leaving for work.

 

* * *

 

 

Mondo went into the initial meeting completely closed off and stubbornly refusing to give any information outside of any questions asked directly of him. 

 

The man he saw was personable enough: mid 40s, dark hair and rimless glasses.  He kept asking Mondo questions about various things; most of which, seemed unimportant, like how much he slept, what he enjoyed doing, how were his parents, stuff like that.  However, Mondo couldn’t help but feel like he was being dissected, and when he was under pressure, he got defensive and snarky.

 

At the end of the hour, Dr. Hisamitsu leant back in his office chair and crossed his legs.  “Diagnosing mental health issues is often a very difficult process.  Specific symptoms could be an indicator of a multiple of issues, but from what you’ve described, it’s very clear what your issue is Oowada-san.”

 

Mondo crossed his arms, not liking the tone the doc was leveling him with.  He wasn’t some fucking kid.  “Oh yeah?  Well why don’t you fucking _tell_ me what my _issue_ is.”

 

Hisamitsu sighed.  “You have PTSD.”

 

There was a beat of silence.  Mondo squinted.  “What the fuck is that?”

 

“It stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Hisamitsu said matter-of-factly.  “It’s a type of anxiety that occurs, as the name implies, after a traumatic experience physically, mentally, or both.  In your specific case, it manifests as nightmares, insomnia, and isolation, especially around the time of the event.  I’m also assuming that with some therapy, some paranoia and abandonment issues would also crop up, but they both stem from the PTSD.”

 

The bewildered look on Mondo’s face prompted Hisamitsu to explain further.  “Gang members, law enforcement, and soldiers are the most common people to have PTSD, unsurprisingly due to their occupations.  And all the symptoms you listed match.” 

 

Mondo blinked.  He didn’t remember saying anything of the sort.

 

“I, of course, don’t know exactly what the traumatic event that prompted this is.  That’s something to discuss with your therapist.”

 

“I don’t-“

 

“I’m giving you the numbers for several therapists in the area, the choice is yours if you’d like to call them and book an appointment or not, but it _would_ help you.  Of that, I’m sure.”

 

* * *

 

 

Mondo got home from the appointment, still thinking about what he’d been told.  He almost didn’t notice Ishimaru coming to greet him at the front door with a hug, Charlie skidding behind him on her little paws and jumping up to his pant leg.  He leant down and gave her a scratch behind the ears.  She yipped happily.

 

“How did it go?”

 

“Um, fine.  He gave me some numbers to call, but I don’t know if I’m going to yet.”

 

Taka nuzzled into his pecs with a hum.  Mondo smiled, and for the first time that day, his muscles relaxed. 

 

“That’s up to you.  But I am proud of you for trying.”  With a squeeze, Taka leant back from his chest and looked up at him seriously.  “You remembered to vote, right?”

 

 _Shit_.

 

“Uh…no?  I forgot.”

 

With a scandalized gasp, Ishimaru quickly let go of him.  His eyebrows furrowed, and Mondo knew he was going to launch into reprimanding him.

 

“Babe…baby,” Mondo nuzzled into Taka’s neck, trying to distract him.  “You look really hot today.”

 

Ishimaru squirmed out of Mondo’s grip and smacked his hand away.  “Mondo, voting is very important as a citizen!  This election in particular is monumental for us and our district!  How is anything supposed to change if the voice of _every_ person isn’t heard?”

 

Mondo sighed and crossed his arms.  “Whatever, it’s not like any of it is gonna affect me.  I’m used to living outside of whatever those stuffy suits decide anyway.”

 

Taka looked at him with disbelief, which then quickly turned to hurt that then manifested in his eyes.  Silent tears started falling from his lashes.  “How can you say that,” his voice was soft but grew in volume as he continued.  “It’s important to me!  The only ways laws change is if people vote, Mondo!” 

 

He looked as if he was going to say more, but the TV cut him off.

 

_The results are in for the district 2 representative race!_

Ishimaru’s head whipped around and he all-but-ran back to the tv.  By the time Mondo got there, Ishimaru was giving the newscaster a worried, but hopeful look. 

 

“ _As we all know, this race was an interesting one as Miki Yukiko, a dark horse candidate, threatens the seat of long-time incumbent Enokida Korenaga with a platform, she argues, appeals to the younger generation of voters.  Her main argument is for the legalization of same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws for those identifying as LGBT.”_

Oh.

 

_Oh._

_"Let’s go to the results.”_ A pie chart appeared on the screen and filled in with color for the three main candidates as a drum roll played. 

“ _And it appears that…yes, Yukiko-san has been elected!”_ Confetti popped out of the sides of the screen.  “ _Certainly, a landmark event as she is the first openly gay woman elected to the House of Representatives!”_   The camera changed to a woman wearing a smart suit, Yukiko, if Mondo had to guess, with a hand pressed to her mouth as she cried tears of joy.  A woman to her left was hanging onto her arm and speaking hurriedly, excitedly, to her.  The other woman was crying too.  People at the campaign hall cheered around them, some waving colorful flags and popping confetti.

 

When Mondo looked over, Taka had clutched the front of his work shirt and was sobbing quietly.  Charlie was pawing at his leg and whining.  She didn’t like it when Taka cried.

 

“Hey, hey, baby,” Mondo gently grabbed Taka by the biceps and leant down to look at him.  “You ok?”

 

“It’s possible,” Ishimaru got out around sobs and he gave Mondo a watery smile.  “It’s possible, Mondo.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When people are like "Oh but Taka could never be a politician if he's gay." There are several openly gay politicians in Japan, so just watch him achieve his dreams.
> 
> The amount of research I had to put into this chapter. Oh my goodness. So! By analyzing a bunch of sources, I was able to find out that the Oowada bros lived in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, the 2nd district of Tokyo.
> 
> ALSO! My birthday recently passed and I got so many presents and well wishes from all of you! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!
> 
> Cover for "What We Could Have Been" by 2ki8h1 here: https://2ki8h1.tumblr.com/post/182084775777/170119-what-we-could-have-been-cover-i-can#notes
> 
> Birthday Ishimondo by Medi here:  
> http://isthemedia.tumblr.com/post/182094878543/happy-birthday-to-gauntletknight-here-we-go


	46. Even Best Laid Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I went back to school this week and I've been trying to balance new classes with a general lack of inspiration and motivation.
> 
> But it's here! The next big arc!

 

 

“Ok, you made reservations, right?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Checked the time of said reservations?”

 

“Yes, Chi.”

 

“Packed condoms in case he decides you’re too sexy and he wants to get down and dirty afterwards.”

 

Mondo huffed and gave his computer a flat look.  


“ _What?_ Safe sex is important you know,” Leon protested, putting on a terrible impression of Ishimaru from back in their high school days as he wagged a finger at Mondo through the screen.

 

“You’re not helping.”

 

Mondo was _not_ freaking out over going on a dinner date with his boyfriend.  He had just called Chihiro and Leon on a video chat for moral support.  That’s it.  Not because he was nervous.  No.

 

Unfortunately, he was only really getting advice from one of them.  Chihiro was actually calming his nerves, but Leon seemed to be making it his goal to tap dance on every single one.

 

Chihiro, gratefully, ignored Leon’s question.  “Hey, show me the outfit you were thinking of wearing.”

 

“S’just a nice shirt and jeans, y’know?  S’not a super fancy place.”  Mondo held up one of his only dress shirts for Chihiro’s appraisal.

 

“Aw c’mon dude!  That looks stuffy as _hell!_   I know you’ve gotta leave something to the imagination, but that’s too much.  Why don’t you wear something tighter? Chicks love a muscular guy.”

 

“Leon,” Chihiro said, massaging the space between his eyebrows.  “For one, Mondo is dating Taka…they are both men.  Neither of them is looking to seduce women.  Secondly, and for the third time during this conversation, a successful date isn’t determined by if you have sex at the end of it.”

 

“Heh, says you.”

 

“I’m _aroace_.  _No_ dates end would end in sex for me, even if I _were_ interested in dating.”

 

“Guys!”  Mondo gave his laptop a frazzled look.  “I have two hours until Taka comes home and we go out!  Focus! Now,” he took his hair out of the bun he’d been keeping it in.  “Pomp, or no pomp?”

 

“No,” the both of them responded at the same time.

 

Well, at least they were agreeing on something.

 

* * *

 

 

Taka came home with a bounce in his step and sparkles in his eyes.  He’d obviously been looking forward to that night as much as Mondo had been nervous about it.

 

He’d gotten through the door, hung up his coat, placed his briefcase near the door, given Charlie a couple of pats on the head, kissed Mondo on the cheek, and then scurried off to their bedroom to “get ready.”

 

While the other man was getting dressed, Mondo desperately tried to get his hair to cooperate in the bathroom.

 

“Lie flat, damn it!”  He was pretty sure the way he was manhandling the straightener would void the warranty, but he didn’t give a shit.  His hair, unlike his brother’s, had always been naturally fluffy and curly.  Daiya made fun of him when he’d first dyed it; calling him ‘ramen head’ and ‘corn cob’.  Well, excuse him if 12-year-old Mondo thought he looked fucking cool and he still did eleven years later.

 

He was paying the price now as the bleached parts of his hair crisped and crunched under the heat of the iron.  Instead of straightening, now his hair had these weird kinks in it that looked like he’d tried to crimp it like some girl from the 90s.

 

So much for letting Taka run his hands through his hair and comment about how soft it was.

 

Mondo was about to wet his head down in the shower when a cry of anguish brought him out of his pity party.  He dashed to the bedroom, skidding in socks on the floor and almost crashing into the wall in the process.  “What’s going on!  What’s wrong?”

 

“One of my pens was in my pocket, and-“ Ishimaru stopped mid-explanation as he caught sight of Mondo.  “What happened to your hair?”

 

“Forget about my hair, what happened to you?”

 

Taka groaned.  His face was covered in dots of blue ink, and as he held his hands out, Mondo saw they hadn’t fared much better.  There was also a huge spot of blue ink spreading out from the chest pocket of Taka’s white dress shirt, soaking into the fabric and ultimately ruining the article of clothing.

 

“I tried to grab it before the ink spread any more, but it just exploded in my hands instead,” he explained woefully.  “This is my only clean dress shirt too…”

 

“Shit, I doubt any of my clothes would fit you…do you still have that t-shirt in case of emergencies?”

 

Taka grimaced.  “Yes, I do, but it’s hardly appropriate for a dinner date; especially one that you worked so hard to prepare.”  He fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt, but only succeeded in spreading the ink that was on his hands even more.

 

“Hey, it’s no big deal.  We’ve got time to work it out, right?  What time is it?”

 

Taka glanced down at the watch that always sat snugly on his wrist.  “5:45.”

 

Every muscle in Mondo’s body froze.  “W-what was that?”

 

“It’s 5:46 now…”

 

“ _FUCK!_ ”  Mondo ran out of the room, back to the bathroom.  “OUR RESERVATION WAS AT 5:30!”

 

* * *

 

 

Mondo had time to rinse his hair out, but not dry it.  Taka had managed to shove on the single t-shirt he owned while they scrambled out of the apartment.

 

The ride over was hectic with Taka constantly yelling at Mondo that they wouldn’t get there at all if they were in _jail._

 

When they got there, Taka looked like a petrified rabbit in a wrinkled red t-shirt and dress pants, while Mondo had a serious case of helmet-hair and wrinkles in his own shirt that clearly held the outline of fingers holding on for dear life.

 

The place wasn’t necessarily fancy in the conventional term, just a little family-run restaurant in the same district they lived in.  However, the place was _almost always_ busy.  It was well known among locals and tourists alike that they had the best food in Tokyo for anyone on some form of a reasonable budget.  Reservations were required if anyone even hoped of getting in.

 

So, by the time he and Taka managed to park the bike, legally, as Ishimaru insisted, they were an hour late for their reservation time.

 

“I’m sorry Oowada-san, but you are very late to your reservation and we have all of these other customers who are here on time for their reservations!  We cannot fit you in tonight.  Perhaps you can come back,” the harried-looking woman rifled through the papers at the desk, “six months from now?”

 

Mondo groaned and let his head loll forward.  This lady was _so_ lucky she was a woman.  He was looking to punch someone with the way this date was going.

 

“Isn’t there anything closer?”  Ishimaru asked, taking the diplomatic route.

 

“No, I’m terribly sorry.”  The woman shook her head, looking genuinely remorseful.

 

 _Damn it!  All his plans for the perfect night Taka_  deserved _were_ _going down the drain_.

 

“That’s quite alright,” Taka assured her and squeezed Mondo’s hand, trying to calm him down.  It worked to an extent.  “Thank you for checking for us, and we apologize for the tardiness.”

 

Together, they exited the restaurant

 

“C’mon, I got a better place,” Mondo grabbed Taka’s hand and started stalking back to where they parked the bike.

 

He was going to salvage this night, damn it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What else could possibly go wrong???
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord!


	47. Diner Dash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Ishimondo Week!!!  
> Also, welcome back from hiatus! I'm going to keep trying to update regularly but school is kinda kicking my ass currently.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER:  
> homophobia  
> homophobic slurs  
> violence (fist fight)
> 
> Stay safe y'all!

 

 

They ended up at a little diner outside the hustle and bustle of the city.  Ishimaru spent the majority of the ride out with his head craned up, looking at the stars as they appeared out of the light pollution of the city.  They were one of the things he missed most about his hometown.

 

The owner had themed the restaurant after the American 50’s aesthetic complete with vinyl seating, checkered tile floors, and even a chrome-lined bar.  Mondo noted happily upon entering that the place hadn’t changed much since the gang stopped coming all those years ago.  It had been Daiya’s favorite place.  He had always said that diners were the sacred watering hole of bikers all over the world.  Mondo always shot back that Daiya was just bullshitting because he liked the chocolate milkshakes and the cute waitress who gave him cherries on top without him needing to ask.

 

They slid into a booth in the corner, sitting across from each other.  Taka’s red eyes scanned around the small restaurant with interest, while Mondo only had eyes for the other.  If nothing else came of this night, he was quickly deciding that he needed to buy Taka more t-shirts.  The one he was wearing was just a plain red, but it hugged his figure in such a way that Mondo particularly appreciated.

 

Taka had kept up his strict training regimen, and retained the lean but impressive level of muscle Mondo loved on him.  Taka was hot as fuck, and though Mondo said it almost constantly, he didn’t know if the other necessarily agreed with him.  But damn, the things he wanted to do to that man…

 

God, when was the last time they even…?  Taka had been pretty busy with the seasonal report for work, and Mondo himself was always either at the barn or therapy.  He’d found a wonderful woman within decent walking distance of the apartment.  He’d never admit it, but it was actually kind of nice letting out everything that he’d kept in so long; especially someone who had a fucking degree in helping him deal with all the bullshit running through his head.

 

But, that was beside the point.

 

The point was, Mondo was, now, really fucking horny.  God damn why did his boyfriend have to be so gorgeous, _especially_ when he couldn’t do anything to him in the name of public decency?  It wasn’t fair.

 

“Hi, welcome to The Skyline Diner, my name’s Emiri and-“ She cut off abruptly, prompting both men to look up.  She was a pretty, older woman with pastel pink hair pulled back into a loose bun with warm brown eyes like hot chocolate and freckles.  Her eyes were widened in shock and her lips pulled into a smile.  “Mondo Oowada, is that you?”

 

“E-Emi?” 

 

The woman grinned brightly.  “That’s right sweetie!  Look at you, all grown up!”  She reached over and, without digging her perfectly-manicured nails into Mondo’s cheeks, pinched them like a grandmother would.  “Such a handsome young man!”

 

Mondo swatted her hands away, laughing.  “S’nice to see you too Emi.”

 

“How old are you now?  18, 19?”

 

“24 next month, actually.”

 

With a scandalized gasp, the waitress used the two menus in her hands to gently smack Mondo on the head.  “You scoundrel!  Didn’t Daiya teach you not to make women feel old!”

 

Mondo jokingly raised his arms to stop the assault.  “Hey, you asked!”

 

Emi finally caught sight of the other man at the table who had been sitting in silent confusion during the exchange.  “And who’s this cutie?”  She raised one eyebrow.  “Friend of yours?  Is he single?”

 

Both men flushed at the question.  Mondo, unsure how to answer, stuttered.  “Uh, n-no.  Um, Emi, this is Taka he’s uh…”  The blush spread more over Mondo’s cheekbones.  “He’s my boyfriend.”

 

The word hung in the air as Emi looked between both men.  Taka looked like he was trying to become one with the furniture and Mondo was starting to sweat the longer the silence prevailed.

 

Emi grabbed the front of Mondo’s collar, and with a yelp from the man, she brought him up to her eye level.  “Listen to me Oowada,” she spat.  “That right there,” she pointed at Taka, “Is the cutest guy I’ve seen around here for a _while._ You break his heart, I will end your life.”

 

Mondo nodded enthusiastically and with just a hint of fear, and just like that, Emi dropped him and returned to her cheerful demeanor.  “Now what can I get you two boys?”

 

Once she’d taken their orders, Emi went to go put the slip up on the clip for the kitchen: for Taka, a turkey club with chips, and for Mondo, a BBQ burger with onion rings.

 

“She seems…interesting,” Taka started, sipping at the sensible water he’d ordered.  “You know her?”

 

Mondo chuckled at the assessment.  “Yeah, she hasn’t changed much.  She’s actually the reason I knew about this place.  Aniki had the biggest sweet spot for her back in the day.”  Emi yelled something indistinguishable at the cook.  “She was the only woman who ever called him out on his bullshit.  I think he appreciated that she wasn’t afraid or intimidated by him.”

 

He wasn’t going to mention how her pretty face had contorted and her makeup had smeared all over her face that day in April when she had found out Daiya wasn’t going to be able to make their date.

 

“She’d sneak me slices of pie when Bro wasn’t looking even though he said the sugar would make me hyper.”  Mondo’s eyes lit up.  “Oh!  You’ve gotta try the lemon meringue.  That’s some good shit.”

 

When he looked back at Taka, his boyfriend’s ruby eyes were soft and his lips were stretched into a fond smile.  “W-what?  Why are you lookin’ at me like that?”

 

Taka reached out and cupped Mondo’s face with a hand.  “Nothing…nothing at all.”

 

Mondo blushed.  Sure, he’d been dating the man for almost half a year now, but damn it, Taka needed to warn him before he went all sappy on Mondo.  He had a reputation to uphold, and he couldn’t let it slide from Taka being as smooth as he was.

 

“Tch.  Damn homos.”

 

Taka’s hand immediately pulled back as if it had been burned.  He and Mondo both tensed as the hateful voice filtered over to them.

 

“Think they can just do that shit in public now that that lez got elected.  Fuckin’ gross.”

 

The diner itself was empty, and the woman’s voice had no troubles being heard over the soft sounds of the jukebox in the corner.  Mondo pushed down a growl in his throat.  Just when he thought this night was turning around, this had to go and happen.  He wanted to go over there and tell the lady where exactly she could stick her damn opinions, but he didn’t want to upset Taka.  Maybe Emi could set them up with a different booth?

 

He glanced over at Taka to see the other man looking forward impassively; mouth pressed into a firm line.

 

Oh no…Mondo knew that face.  He’d been on the receiving end of that face for many years, and sometimes still was.

 

“Mondo, where are they?”

 

Mondo sighed and ran his hands down his face.  Well if it was one of the two of them to talk to the offending pair, Taka was definitely more diplomatically inclined.

 

“Booth diagonally across from us.”

 

With a tight nod, Taka stood and scooched himself out of the booth before smoothing out his slacks and striding over to the mentioned booth.  From where Mondo was sitting, he could only see the woman who had been making the remarks, not whomever she was talking to.  If Mondo had to describe her, barring his brother teaching him to respect women, it would be a toss up between ‘rich bitch’ and ‘skank.’

 

In all honesty, she looked like Junko with the tanned skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, if Junko somehow became a gold digger.  He heard she was actually doing pretty well for herself these days with a self-made fashion empire in New York.

 

“I’m terribly sorry if my boyfriend and I made you uncomfortable!  I’m not really accustomed to such PDA, myself.”

 

Aaaaand Taka was apologizing to her.  The girl looked up at him like someone had just shit in her sundae.

 

“However, I rather dislike how you spoke about Yukiko-sama.  Her policy for change is sound, especially with regards to the current infrastructure.  She worked very hard for the position she achieved, and won, by popular vote, so I would kindly ask if you’d refer to her with some level of respect.”  Taka nodded at the woman, brows furrowed determinedly.

 

“Heh, I ‘aint gotta do anything cause some little bitch who likes dick up his ass tells me to.”

 

Oh…oh no, that was definitely a male voice. 

 

“Yeah, go back over to your boy toy.”  The woman sneered.

 

Taka’s mouth curved down into a frown that was half disappointed, half offended.  “Now that was, quite frankly, uncalled for and extremely rude.”

 

“What?  You expecting a damn apology?”  The unseen man laughed.  His date giggled along.

 

“Yes.  I am.”  Ishimaru stated firmly, standing just a little bit straighter.

 

Mondo made the move to stand, if to do nothing else than to stand behind his boyfriend and intimidate the fuck out of the other table.  But the other man did before he, himself, could, and damn was that a tall, buff guy.  He _had_ to be 6’5”.  Mondo froze in shock for the briefest of seconds.  What had this date turned into?

 

But that second hesitation was just enough for super-buff-homophobic dude to say with a smirk, “Here’s yer damn apology,” before absolutely nailing Taka in the jaw.

 

Taka’s head whipped to the side, and he stumbled a little bit but didn’t fall.

 

Mondo was about to go take on the guy himself when he saw all the color leech from Taka’s hair. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's baaa-aaaaack!
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord


	48. Instinct

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ishimondo week took a lot out of me haha. And school is kicking my butt.  
> Ah well, here's an update!
> 
> Trigger warnings for:  
> Homophobic language  
> Violence

 

 

Mondo had seen Taka like this once before, but he hadn’t been a witness to what had actually happened that first time.  A little flirtier?  Definitely.  Absolutely whaling on a guy who had _9 inches on him_?  Yeah, that was new.

 

The white-haired Taka managed to land a hit to the guy’s nose with the bottom of his palm, cracking it under the force, before landing a punch to his face.  The guy stumbled back into his own table, clutching his nose as blood seeped out from between his fingers.

 

“You little _shit_ ,” he bit out, bringing back his other hand for another punch. 

 

Taka’s face split into a grin Mondo had _never_ seen on the other’s face; practically manic. 

 

As the guy threw the punch, Taka caught his hand easily and twisted so his back was against the man’s front.  He elbowed the other man once in the stomach and once in the chin before cocking his leg back and kicking the other guy’s knee, causing him to lose balance.  Taka used the disorientation to grab hold of the other guy’s arm with both hands and flip him over his shoulder.  The taller man landed on the tiled floor, which knocked all the breath out of him.

 

Taka dug the heel of his boot into the other man’s sternum.  “You wanna try that apology again?”

 

The guy had the gall to spit on Ishimaru’s boot.  “Go ta hell ya fuckin’ fairy.”

 

Mondo would later swear that the flames in Taka’s eyes flared even more, but that was ridiculous.  People’s eyes didn’t do that.

 

Taka’s upper lip curled in rage, and with a growl he dropped to his knees, straddling the other guy and started throwing punch after punch at the man’s face.  The other guy tried pushing Taka off of him, but Taka only bit his hand.

 

Mondo, who had been standing in shock for the majority of this interaction, finally came back to himself.  “Woah! Woah! Taka! Babe! Stop it!” 

 

He had experience in breaking up physical fights, but he was at a bit of a loss at how Taka was acting.  He slid his arms under Taka’s biceps, trying to pin them back so he couldn’t punch any more.  Taka whipped around and actually _fucking_ _snarled_ at him.

 

“ _What the fuck is going on in here?”_ Emi yelled, hands on her hips.

 

Mondo had finally succeeded in dragging Taka, kicking and “cursing” away from the other guy who was now managing to sit up.  His girlfriend went clomping over to Emi and started pointing a perfectly-manicured finger in her face.  “I’ll tell you what happened! Those two-“ Emi pointed at Mondo and Taka who was _still struggling_ , “Disrupted our meal, and _that asshole_ just started beating up my Mitsuomi for no reason!”

 

“Mitsuomi” swiped his hand under his nose to wipe some of the blood away.  From the looks of his face, he’d have a pretty nice shiner in the morning.

 

“That’s complete _bullshit_ and y’know it, you bitch,” Mondo spat at the woman.  His brother taught him not to raise a hand to any woman, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t cuss her out.  Taka was finally calming down in his arms.

 

“She started badmouthin’ us and he just went over to apologize t’ya!”

 

“No,” she hissed.  “He asked us to apologize for our opinions about that fucking lez that got elected.”  Emi’s eyes narrowed.

 

Taka half-heartedly struggled in Mondo’s grip.  Mondo shifted to hold him tighter, not really as a preventative measure, but to ground his boyfriend.  Mondo had his back.

 

“I think I see what happened.  Mondo, you better not fucking lie to me,” Emi addressed him directly.  “Who threw the first punch.”

 

Mondo scoffed at the question.  “Who th’fuck d’y’think?!”

 

Emi nodded and turned to the woman who was glaring down Mondo smugly.  With a voice as sweet as sugar water in an ant trap, Emi smiled at the woman.  “That ‘lez’ you mentioned?  She just so happens my best friend, we grew up together not far from here.  Now get the fuck out of my restaurant.”

 

The woman spluttered, turning several shades of red and purple before exploding with a loud scream and traipsing out of the restaurant.  Emi huffed and nudged Mitsuomi with her foot.  “You too douchenozzle.”  He gritted his teeth, but shakily stood.

 

“You’re gonna regret this.  You better be looking over your shoulder.”

 

Emi raised an eyebrow.  “I mean you’re free to try and intimidate me, but this diner is neutral territory for five of the biggest motorcycle gangs in Japan.  That, right there,” she jerked a thumb at Mondo, “is the second leader of the Crazy Diamonds.”

 

Mitsuomi immediately paled.

 

“So, you _have_ heard of him.”  Emi cringed mockingly, “And you just punched his boyfriend.  If anyone should be looking over their shoulders, it’s you sweet cheeks.”  She patted him on the cheek patronizingly.  “Now get out of my _fucking diner_.”

 

The minute he got his feet under him, Mitsuomi did just that.

 

Emi sighed as the door jingled shut.  The diner was now empty except for the three of them and the cook in the back.  “I’ll go get the first aid kit.  That cutie looks like he needs it,” she nodded at where Taka was now hanging limp from Mondo’s arms.

 

Mondo thanked her and gently guided Taka to sit at one of the stools at the bar.  Said man was now silent, except for the occasional sniffle as fat hot tears traced down his cheeks.  His hair had faded back to its normal color, and all the fight had left his body.  He had a split lip, scratches lining one cheek, and nice bruise coming in on his cheekbone.

 

“Here,” Mondo handed him a napkin.  Taka wordlessly took it and started wiping at his eyes.

 

A heavy silence fell over the two of them, both ignoring the elephant in the room for a time until Mondo decided he’d had enough.  “Alright, you wanna tell me what the _fuck_ that was?”

 

Taka flinched at the tone.  “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin our date or get in a fight.  It’s just they were insulting you and Yukiko-sama and-“

 

“Don’t apologize for that shit.” Mondo waved it off.  “If you hadn’t beat his ass, _I_ would have anyway.  Came pretty damn close to backing you up until I realized you were pretty damn alright taking care of yourself.”

 

Taka’s jaw tightened and he looked down.

 

“Where in the _hell_ did _that_ come from?”  Mondo rephrased his question.  “Gettin’ into fist fights is _my_ thing.  And your _hair._   It was like you were a completely different person out there.”

 

“Ishida,” Taka said quietly.  “I’ve named him Ishida.”

 

Mondo was about to ask what the fuck _that_ meant, when Emi came back with the kit and a bag full of ice.

 

“Don’t worry about the fight sweet pea.  Happens all the time,” she assured him.  Taka looked like he wanted to argue, but she cut him off before he could.  “Would have killed him myself if I knew that shit he was spewing about Miki-chan.”  She patted the top of Taka’s head.  “I’ll go get you boys your food.”  She left again, and Mondo was able to continue the conversation.

 

“Wait,” Mondo’s eyebrows rose.  “Is this like Fukawa and that serial killer she turns into when she passes out?  You’ve got another personality?”

 

Taka shook his head and rummaged in the first aid kid for antiseptic.  Mondo smacked his hand away gently.  “Here, lemme do it.”

 

The younger man huffed and sat back, holding the ice bag to his face, looking anywhere but Mondo’s face.  “Fukawa-san couldn’t control her change, and _they_ were two different people.  Ishida is…me.”

 

Mondo brought up a cotton ball soaked in iodine to the claw marks on Taka’s face.  Taka flinched and hissed softly.  “Sorry,” Mondo apologized softly, before gently dabbing the cuts.  “You’re losing me, what do you mean that this ‘ _Ishida_ ’ is you?”

 

“Just that.”  Taka’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to explain.  “Like, I guess how your brother was both the leader of a gang and your brother.  How my father is both my father and a detective.  ‘Ishida’ is just another role that I _am_.  One that I take on only when I need to.”  Taka picked a piece of lint off of his pants.  “I don’t particularly know what happens, but he’s my release of the emotions I try to keep under control.  My temper, fear, confidence, fight, and...”  Taka trailed off thoughtfully.  “All coming out at once.”

 

“That makes sense, I guess.”  Mondo fiddled with the bandage.  “But why did you _name_ it?”

 

Taka blushed under Mondo’s fingertips as the latter taped the bandage into place.  “I named that state ‘Kiyondo Ishida’ because he reminds me of you.”

 

Mondo’s brows furrowed in confusion before finally getting that it was both of their names combined.  He chuckled and kissed Taka’s forehead.             

 

“You’re fucking adorable.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord!


	49. Numbers of Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note:   
> there are mentions of nsfw-related things in this chapter, not full blown nsfw but Dickhard Oowada's back at it again 
> 
> Also, Emi is a goddess, as usual.

 

 

Emi brought their food by as soon as Taka had finished patching up.  He was still pouting that he’d gotten in a fight, but Mondo was silently at war with himself trying to decide if the bruises and bandages made Taka hot or the pout made him cute.

 

As it turned out, the fight had done nothing to ebb his hormones from wanting the other man.  He blamed years of being witness to street fights and bar brawls for his dick’s seeming indifference to what had happened. 

 

Or maybe it wasn’t indifference at all.

 

“Mondo, are you alright?”

 

“Huh?”  Mondo blinked, coming back from his daydreaming about when “ _Ishida”_ had gotten him back from the Crows; smirking with a cheek spattered in blood, teasing him about tying him up.  Had that been a tease…or a promise?  Was he even into that?  His dick seemed to think so.

 

Taka set his milkshake down gently -Emi had brought them by as an apology- and leveled Mondo with a concerned, but understanding look.  “I know it is a bit strange.  I don’t even know why my hair changes color.  Perhaps I should go see a doctor.”  He considered one of his chips thoughtfully.

 

"Nah, wasn’t even thinking of that.”  Mondo waved the sentiment off.

 

Ishimaru’s brow furrowed, disbelieving.  “Then, what were you thinking about?”

 

_How much I want you to tie me to the headboard and ride me into the fucking sunset._

 

Mondo choked on the burger he had just bitten into as the thought crossed his mind.  He coughed a couple times, “N-nothing!”  Yeah, super convincing.

 

Taka didn’t look convinced.

 

“I promise I normally try to keep him in check.”  His voice was soft, just on the side of tears.  “I-if he’s…If _I’m_ too much for you then-“

 

“Baby,” Mondo reached across the table to grasp Taka’s hand, running his calloused thumb over the soft skin of Taka’s knuckles.  Taka looked up, eyes watery.  “I used to run a fucking gang.  Ain’t the first time I had to break up a fight.”

           

Ishimaru finally smiled, though it was a bit watery. “I suppose you’re right.”

 

* * *

 

 

Emi gave Mondo a full lemon meringue pie with a wink after the check had been paid, absolutely refusing payment for the dessert.  “For old times’ sake,” she grinned.  Mondo looked at her like she had just told him he was going to a puppy sanctuary and could adopt as many as he wanted.  Taka merely smiled.

 

He’d been so worried Mondo wouldn’t want to be with him after the fight that had broken out.  That level of violence had been uncalled for, and he sometimes scared himself when he got like that.  Mondo, however, didn’t seem fazed except for finding himself lost in thought.

 

Thinking of the fight however, Taka realized something.

 

“Emiri-san?”

 

Emi gave him a soft smile.  “Just call me Emi, cutie.”

 

Taka nodded in thanks for the permission.  “Emi, you said that you know Yukiko-sama?”

 

Emi brightened considerably and nodded.  “Miki-chan and I went to school together!  She was always so shy though, hard to believe that she’s an elected official now!  Akemi-chan has been so supportive of her.”  Taka cocked his head in a silent question.  “Her partner,” Emi clarified.

 

“Ah, of course!”  Taka brightened significantly, “I was wondering if you had some way to contact Yukiko-sama?  I want to go into politics, myself and I was hoping I could speak to her.”

 

“Absolutely,” Emi cocked her hips to the side.  “I’m sure she’d love to talk to you.  Let me give you her phone number,” she scrawled the info on one of the diner’s napkins.  “Just tell her I sent you, kay sweetie?”

 

Taka folded the napkin carefully and nodded.  “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

 

Once the leftovers, pie, and Miki’s number were secured – the former two in the saddlebags and the latter in Taka’s pocket- the two bid Emi good bye and left the diner.

 

Mondo allowed himself to sigh in relief once they were safely on their way back to the apartment, the cool night air running through his hair.  The date certainly hadn’t started out great, but they still got a meal and some time to talk together that wasn’t about work.  That’s all he could really ask of the other.

 

Taka hummed and tightened his arms around Mondo’s middle, squeezing gently as they rode back into the city.  He could feel the pressure between his shoulder blades as Taka nuzzled into the warmth there.  Mondo’s fingers gripped marginally tighter on the handlebars of the bike.  His dick had decided to make him believe the otherwise-innocent gesture was something it decidedly was not.

 

…

 

Was he imagining it, or were Taka’s hands creeping lower and lower as they got closer to the apartment?

 

Mondo shook his head to clear it.  C’mon, he wasn’t _that_ much of a horndog. 

 

But the more he tried to deny what was happening, the lower Taka’s hands sank.  They stopped just under his navel, clawing at his lower hips, and Mondo wasn’t sure if he was thankful they stopped, or frustrated that they hadn’t continued to where he actually _needed them to be._

 

When Taka pulled himself closer to Mondo’s back, the older man tried reasoning with himself that they both had a pretty weird and complicated night.  Taka was probably just looking for extra comfort.  The night air was still pretty chilly and Mondo was kind of like a portable heater that-

 

With a small huff of air against the back of his neck, Mondo felt Taka shift on the bike behind him.  Well, shift was really the wrong word, especially when Mondo felt a tell-tale hardness press into his lower back.

 

With as much control as he could muster, Mondo pulled into the garage of their apartment complex.  Taka “shifted” again as Mondo cut the engine, the smaller man’s nails digging into the skin of Mondo’s hips and let out a soft whine that Mondo felt the other make more than heard.

 

Mondo tried to keep his voice level, but it shook badly.  “U-uh…Baby?  W-what’cha doin’?”

 

He felt Taka tense up behind him, the fingernails finally releasing from his hips.  “I, um.”

 

Mondo turned his head to look at Taka over his shoulder, his boyfriend’s face just as red as he believed his own to be.  Taka’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

 

Mondo cracked a smile, unbelieving what he was about to ask.  “W-were you _humping_ me?”

 

Taka’s cheeks got even redder, if such a thing was even possible.  He buried his nose into Mondo’s back with a soft, embarrassed groan.  “Please don’t say it so crudely.”

 

“Holy shit,” Mondo laughed, “You totally were!”

 

Taka sat up, mouth pressed into a firm line, but face still as red as the day they fought in the sauna.  “I-It’s a side-effect,” he stammered out.  “I told you how Ishida is the release of all the e-emotions I don’t normally show?”  Mondo hummed in the affirmative.  Taka looked off to the side, “T-that includes…my ah…arousal.  It gets…amplified.”

 

Mondo swore he could hear the Halleluiah chorus.

 

“Thank fuck, I thought I was going to have to spend the rest of the night jacking off in the bathroom,” Mondo groaned, putting down the kickstand to the bike before pausing, “That is if you want t-“

 

He was cut off as Taka grabbed him by the tie and pulled him down into a desperate kiss.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be 18+ only!!!  
> Thank you for your cooperation!
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord


	50. **Desperation**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update. A lot happened all at once. But I mean it's twice the words of a usual update so I hope that makes up for it ^^
> 
> NOTE: This is a smut chapter!   
> If you are under the age of 18, please do not continue!   
> You won't miss anything plot-wise I promise.  
> If you are 18 or older....enjoy~

 

 

This was vastly different to their first time.

 

Once Mondo had successfully gotten the door open, which was more of a difficult task than usual as Taka had somehow latched himself to his boyfriend’s neck, mouthing and biting at any spare expanse of skin he found, Taka pushed him inside. 

 

It was a miracle they even made it to the bedroom.  Neither of them was looking where they were going as they stumbled blindly through the apartment, each too focused on shoving their tongue down the other’s throat. 

 

Taka was being far more aggressive than he ever had in the past, his eyes occasionally giving off flames from under his closed eyelids.  His teeth dug down into Mondo’s bottom lip and pulled, making the taller man groan appreciatively.

 

Taka pulled back, his eyes flashing dangerously.  Mondo didn’t think it was possible, but he got even harder at the look.  Taka smirked wickedly, obviously knowing what he was doing to his boyfriend; loving every second Mondo spent at his sexual mercy.

 

He shoved Mondo backwards onto the bed before climbing on top of him, straddling his hips.  As Taka dipped his lips back down onto Mondo’s he ground their hips together, swallowing the subsequent moan that escaped Mondo’s mouth.  Taka’s nimble fingers finally got the last of Mondo’s dress shirt’s buttons open and threw open the shirt.  His hands immediately started running over Mondo’s chest, kneading at his pecs and tracing the lines of his abs.

 

Taka’s mouth pulled away just as the pad of his thumb traced over one of Mondo’s nipples, earning him a rather embarrassing whine from the man beneath him.  

 

“Mm,” Taka hummed, bringing his mouth to the shell of Mondo’s ear, “that was a beautiful sound you just made.” An index finger joined the thumb, rolling the nipple in-between them.  Mondo hissed, arching into the attention.  “Let’s see if I can get you to make more.”  Mondo let out a shaky breath at the implications.

 

Taka traced his tongue down the outside of Mondo’s ear, bringing his other hand to work at the nipple that hadn’t received any attention yet.  Mondo’s jaw clenched and he could feel Taka smile against his skin as he worked his way down to Mondo’s neck.

 

Suddenly, a, not-altogether unpleasant, pain shot up Mondo’s neck.  A needy moan clawed its way out of his throat and his hands made their way down to Taka’s hips to ground himself.  “D-Did you just bite me?”

 

Taka hummed against the spot and pressed a lingering kiss to it.  “That’s for making Yuko laugh at me when I went into work with the mark you gave _me_.”

 

Mondo chuckled good-naturedly while Taka shifted on top of him.  “Ok, you know what? That’s fair, just-ngh!”

 

“Mm?”  Taka’s red eyes shifted up from where he was tracing his tongue around Mondo’s already thoroughly-abused nipple.  “What was that?  I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

 

“Nghah…just-“ Taka flicked his tongue, “Fuck…”

 

“Soon,” Taka promised, sucking and coming off of the bud with a loud pop.

 

Maddeningly slowly, Taka moved down Mondo’s body, lightly dragging his lips over heated skin in some places and laving his tongue over others.  Eventually though, he hit the waistline of Mondo’s only pair of dress pants.  While nipping at the prominent outline of Mondo’s hipbones, Taka made quick work of the button and zipper, easing the pants just far enough down Mondo’s hips to release his cock.

 

It wasn’t until Taka kissed it through his underwear, that Mondo understood what the other had planned.

 

“W-wait,” he managed to stammer out, pulling himself up on his elbows.  A blush worked its way up the back of his neck.  Immediately, Taka’s eyes snapped to his own.  “Y-y’don’t haf’ta do this if y’don’t wanna.”  His voice was shaky and already hoarse with just a hint of a moan on the end.  It wasn’t like he didn’t want it.  Quite the opposite in fact, but he’d be damned if he forced Taka to do something.

 

Taka looked down, then back up at Mondo.  “And, if I said I was doing this because _I_ wanted to?”

 

Mondo groaned, throwing his head back.  “Then fuck, please, go f’ it.”

 

His hips jerked involuntarily in the cold air as Taka slid down his boxers.  He didn’t need to look down to know that he was already hard and embarrassingly leaking precum all over himself.  He couldn’t help it.  It was what the other man did to him.

 

With a hum, Taka gently traced his finger down the shaft, collecting precum on his way.  Mondo’s jaw tightened as his cock jerked at the soft touch. “Please…”

 

Leisurely, Taka lowered himself, nuzzling his head in-between Mondo’s thighs.  He kissed the tip softly, smiling as a high-pitched whine left Mondo and the dick in front of him jumped again.  “You’re very well-endowed,” his breath ghosted over the slick cock.

 

Without leaving Mondo a chance to say anything to the contrary, Taka licked a stripe up the center ridge before flicking his tongue just underneath the head.  “Ngah!”  Mondo’s hips jerked with his cry, but Taka held his hips down to the bed before easing his lips around the other’s shaft.

 

“Oh, fuck,” Mondo groaned out, his hand automatically coming to run his fingers through Taka’s hair as the other sucked him off.  His palm came down to cup Taka’s cheek and the other nuzzled into the touch with a hum that went through his dick like lightning.

 

Taka obviously had no prior experience with this, but that didn’t stop him.  Mondo had no doubt he’d done research, and he was now seeing the extent the other had went to: running his tongue along the underside of Mondo’s cock before coming back up to circle the head, cheeks hollowed out the whole time, eyes focused on the task at hand.

 

Mondo felt his toes curl at a particularly good suck and his hips arched against Taka’s hands.  “B-baby I-“

 

Without warning, Taka pulled off and backed away from Mondo, causing the man to let out a harsh gasp as he convulsed in need.  Only cool air surrounded his throbbing need.  “Oh fuck, no…please baby…” 

 

He pushed himself up on his elbows to see Taka stripping more carelessly than Mondo thought he’d ever seen Taka do.  It had never crossed his mind that seeing another man just flinging his t-shirt carelessly across the bedroom would be sexy, but here he was, becoming a whining whore at just watching the predatory look in Taka’s eyes as they scanned over him.

 

“Do you even know what you look like right now?”  Taka’s words came out startlingly level for a man who had spit and precum collected at the corners of his mouth.  Mondo just threw his arm over his eyes, breathing heavily, hoping for a minute to collect himself.

 

A minute Taka didn’t give him.

 

There was the pop and squelch of the lube bottle.  Taka poured the slick substance over his fingers before bringing his hand back to his own ass.  “Baby let m-“

 

“Watch me.”

 

A pitiful noise made its way up from Mondo’s diaphragm at the command.  He obliged, eyes locking onto Taka’s own, watching as they hazed over with lust, the first finger sinking in to the knuckle.

 

Taka’s back arched; every sinew and muscle stretched to accommodate, in full definition for Mondo to see.  Taka bit his lip, but a soft groan escaped.  “Oh…”

 

With great effort, Mondo managed to get himself into a sitting position.  Taka’s eyes had rolled back into his head as he added another finger to the one already pistoning inside of him.  He’d given up the pretense of keeping calm, his mouth falling open, giving way to pants and moans.  Mondo leant forward, pressing his forehead against Taka’s chest and gently kissing the other man’s stomach.

 

“Ngh…Mondo…” Taka choked out around the wet smacking sounds of his fingering.

 

Taka eventually pulled his hand back, coated in slick and reached back to the bedside table for the small foil package of the condom.  Quickly, he tore the package open and slipped it with a surprising level of ease over Mondo’s erection.  Though, Mondo supposed, that probably had something do to with the earlier blowjob’s excess of saliva.

 

Taka’s arms wound their way around Mondo’s neck.  “A-are you alright,” he huffed out.

 

“Yeah,” Mondo reached up to brush Taka’s hair away from his face.  “You?”

 

“I’ll be much better when you’re inside me.”

 

“Shit baby,” Mondo’s head lolled back.  “Where did’ja learn t’talk like that.”

 

“It’s the truth,” Taka said simply.  “Now, you’ve got to help me with this.”  His own erection bobbing between his legs, Taka crawled back onto Mondo, straddling him, but now he was essentially sitting in the other’s lap.  Mondo wrapped his own arms around Taka’s lower back as Taka let go with one arm to line up Mondo’s dick.

 

Taka’s jaw went slack as he sunk down, and Mondo made a choked sound that cut off into a growl.  Taka caught the neediness and smirked flirtily.  “You want me that ba-ah-dly,” he chuckled breathlessly.  “S-suits me…”

 

Mondo didn’t have time to prepare before Taka snapped his hips, immediately burying Mondo to the hilt.  He barked out a yell, hips bucking against the force involuntarily.  Taka moaned loudly, his voice kicking up a few octaves.  “O-oh God…oh _fuck_.”  His fingers dug into Mondo’s shoulder blades

 

Every muscle in Mondo’s body froze.  He didn’t move, even when Taka started whining and grinding his hips needily.

 

“B..baby…did you just..?”

 

Taka looked at him from his place on Mondo’s lap, panting heavily, desperation in stunning detail in the corners of his eyes where tears were beginning to pool.  “S-so what if I did.  You do it all the time.”  His red eyes flashed again, almost appearing luminescent in the darkness of the bedroom.

 

To test it, Mondo brought his own hips back, dick dragging out of Taka’s ass and snapped them forward again, _hard_.  Taka’s back arched like a C and he screamed.  “Fuck _yes_! _Harder!_   God, Mondo I want you to _fuck me_.”

 

Mondo’s pupils blew out.  He grabbed the sides of Taka’s head and pulled him into a bruising kiss.  Once he was sure Taka wasn’t going to stop making out with him – the other’s nails were digging into his scalp, their tongues entwined like lovers – he reached down and cupped Taka’s ass, providing a support for the other to ride him.

 

It was desperate; hard and fast fucking with sweat rolling down each of them and only breaking kissing if absolutely necessary to take a breath or moan the other’s name appreciatively.  The only other sound that broke through the silence of the room was the slapping sound of skin. 

 

At one point, Taka pushed Mondo back into the mattress and rode him in earnest, using his strong thighs to lift himself up and drop himself back down.  His hands splayed over Mondo’s chest as he pushed himself up and down like a man possessed.  He was riding Mondo like it was the last thing he would do and fuck it was hot. 

 

Mondo’s hands rubbed up his thighs and started jacking his boyfriend off.  Taka buried his hands in his own hair, eyes manic, and never stopped riding.  “Oh shit, oh _fuck._ ”

 

Mondo grit his teeth together and bit out, “M’close baby, nghh!  S’good.  Gunna make me cum…fuck..”

 

Taka released a shaky moan.  He looked like a mess, face covered in tear tracks and drool from his open mouth, blushing like the virgin Mondo knew he wasn’t.  “D-do it…”  Taka started rocking his hips into the heat of Mondo’s hand, his precum leaving tacky strings on Mondo’s fingers.  “Pl-ease,” his voice broke.  “Please…come inside me…Mondo!”

 

With a shout at the idea of his cum sliding out of Taka’s ass, Mondo bared his teeth as his hips snapped up, his cock jumping as he came.  Hard.

 

“ _AH!_ ”  Warm liquid splattered across his chest and he squinted open his eyes to see Taka on top of him, muscles tense and brow furrowed as he came in Mondo’s hand and all over the other man’s chest.  His hands clawed at Mondo’s chest, desperately looking for something to hold onto.  Mondo locked his hands with his boyfriend as they both rode out their orgasms together.

 

Eventually Taka’s muscles unlocked and he slumped to the side.  He gently eased himself off of Mondo before collapsing onto the bed, still breathing heavily.  “S-shit baby!  You ok?”  Mondo sat up, despite the already-blossoming pain in his lower back and legs. 

 

Taka hummed, eyes closed and snuggled into Mondo’s arms.  “Thank you,” he murmured softly.

 

With a small smile, Mondo kissed his forehead, pushing back some of the strands that had stuck to Taka’s forehead from sweat.  “You don’t need to thank me for that.  You did all the work.”  Taka hummed non-committally, eyes still closed.

 

“I gotta go wipe myself off.  I’ll be right back, ok?” 

 

“Mm…hurry back please…”

 

Mondo quickly cleaned himself off in the adjoining bathroom, and threw the condom away before rejoining his boyfriend in bed.

 

As soon as he slid between the sheets, Taka came over and attached himself to Mondo’s side, nuzzling into his pectoral.  Mondo gave him a tired smile, which was reciprocated, love shining through Taka’s eyes like Mondo was his everything.

 

As he turned off the side lamp, Mondo found himself thinking that yeah…he could spend the rest of his life like this.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God even in smut I gotta make it sappy, huh
> 
> Come yell at me @gauntletknight over on tumblr or on the discord


	51. Diamonds are Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the sporadic updates. Life's been hitting me hard recently, but I think the wave is mostly over, so that's nice ^^
> 
> Disclaimer: I know nothing about tattoos

 

 

“You want to get _what_ for your birthday?!”

 

Mondo cringed at the volume Taka’s voice grew to.  He knew his boyfriend was going to react this way, but it just made him feel oddly _guilty_.  “Well, maybe not _on_ my birthday but, look, it’s not a big deal!  The guys from the gang know this one place that does it and it’s clean and everything.  I promise.”

 

Taka’s jaw tightened.  “But, Mondo!  Your body is a gift from your parents!  You should do your utmost to keep it in the best shape possible and without unnecessary markings!”

 

“Tch,” Mondo scoffed, “Don’t think my parents would care too much.  ‘Sides, I’m doing it to honor Aniki, y’know?”

 

Taka looked like he was about to argue, mouth opening, before he closed it sharply and crossed his arms.  He huffed, cheeks puffing out, displeased.  “Fine,” Taka relented unhappily.  “But I’m coming with you to make sure everything goes alright!”

 

Mondo smiled, pulling his boyfriend into a hug.  Taka’s shoulders unclenched just a fraction.  “I was going to do it whether or not you actually approved.”  Taka grumbled into his chest, and he chuckled.  “But I could hold your hand.”

 

* * *

 

           

A few days later, they were sitting in a tattoo parlor, that Taka had to begrudgingly admit, was spotless.  The woman at the front desk had smiled upon their entry and greeted them warmly.  Her arms were covered in what could be described as a “sleeve” of tattoos.  They were done like traditional Japanese art with inked mountains and a crane decorating one and a woman with a scimitar rising from rolling waves on the other one.

 

Mondo had told her specifically what he wanted done, and she had nodded.  “We normally don’t do gang signs, but for you boys we make an exception.”  She smiled, eyes twinkling.  “Saved me and another worker here one night from some assholes.  Like the Valkyries you boys were.  Gave us both rides home too.”

 

Mondo’s eyes went soft with pride around the edges and Taka squeezed his hand.

 

After payment, the woman had sent them to the back, into a side room.  The room itself was fairly reminiscent of a doctor’s office with a table, rolling chair, and even a seat off to the side for an extra person.  However, it didn’t hold the clinical feeling of a medical office.  Art decorated a good portion of the wall.  Everything from flowers inked in stunning detail, to animals, and even _people_.  Each looked alive in some way, and for the first time, Taka understood why some people called tattoos art.

 

A man with close-cropped hair turned from the desk as they entered, glasses perched on the edge of his nose.  “Good afternoon, what can I-“  He paused, looking over his nose at the two men before his mouth turned up in a grin.  “Well I expected you to come by one day, Mondo Oowada, but I never thought the moral compass himself would want some ink.”

 

“Ah,” Ishimaru paled.  “That’s not…I don’t!”

 

The man chuckled, “Yeah, I figured, just yankin’ your chain kiddo.”  He extended a hand, “Name’s Kyo Kugawara, former ultimate tattoo artist.”

 

“You’re a Hope’s Peak graduate,” Taka asked as Mondo shook the man’s hand. 

 

“Sure am,” Kyo sat back in his stool, “Class 67.”

 

"Ah, well,” Taka stood just a bit taller.  “Admittedly, that does comfort me a bit.”

 

Kyo laughed good-naturedly.  “Yeah, I’m sure it does.  You’re right to be weary though, there’s some people in this city I wouldn’t let within five feet of me with a pen much less a needle.”  He grimaced and shook his head.  “Did I mention I also do retouching?”

 

“In any case,” he continued, now addressing Mondo directly, “I think I know what you want me to do, but you’re gonna have to tell me directly and where you want it, ok?”

 

They eventually settled on the Crazy Diamond’s logo and motto on his left shoulder blade; the words his brother had come up and lived by with forever inked into his skin.

 

_Diamonds do not break,_

_Diamonds are created under high pressure_

_The soul of a man is created from adversity_

_Let your radiance shine like a burning torch._

 

It felt fitting.

 

Under Kyo’s instruction, Mondo took off his shirt, and Taka managed to only stare a _little_ at the way the other man looked. 

 

It had started growing hotter as the months marched into June and the way sweat _glistened_ on the other man’s skin should have been illegal.  He had never noticed when they were in school together, where he could enforce dress code and make Mondo wear a blazer no matter the humidity.  But now, Mondo was just lounging around their house without a shirt.

           

The first time it happened, Taka had managed to avert his eyes, even as Mondo stretched, all his muscles flexing just under his tan skin.  The second time…well…Mondo would later tell Taka the younger man had “jumped him” quite literally.  He couldn’t help it!  Mondo made him feel things no one else ever had.  Maybe he was a “late bloomer” like everyone had told him all those years of favoring academic endeavors over romantic entanglements, but honestly as long as he was with the man in front of him, it didn’t matter.

 

Mondo chuckled, no doubt noticing his red cheeks.  Curse his naturally-pale complexion!  It hadn’t taken long for Mondo to connect the dots about his muscles and Taka’s seeming insatiability.  He now used that knowledge without discretion every chance he got.

 

“You can look now,” Mondo finally said, a smile hinting along the edges of his voice, once he had settled down onto the table in the room.  Taka huffed but looked back down, pulling up the empty chair in the corner of the room to Mondo’s side.

 

“You’re insufferable.  You know that, right?”

 

“Eh, you love me.”

 

Taka gave a long-suffering sigh as an answer.

 

“Alright you two love birds,” Kyo turned around from his tablet, a thin piece of paper in his hands with the design they had settled on printed onto it.  “I’m gonna do the transfer and then we’ll get this show on the road.”

 

The whole process took somewhere around 2 hours; a relatively short time given that the design was just black ink without shading or coloring.  The first couple of minutes, Mondo’s jaw was tight, his hands sweaty in Taka’s as the pen whirred, needles punching in and out of his skin.  But as the process continued, he eventually relaxed.  His thumb traced over Taka’s knuckles, making mindless patterns on the back of his hand.

 

They talked a lot.  Kyo asked them about their time in Hope’s Peak and if certain professors were still there.  He told them a bunch of stories about various pranks he had pulled while a student.  Mondo laughed, but Taka fixed him with a steely stare…which only made the two other men laugh more.

 

“That’s it,” Kyo pushed back from the table in his rolling stool and shut the machine off.  “Wasn’t so bad, huh?”

 

“Nah, I’ve gotten road rash that’s ten fucking times worse.”  Mondo turned to Taka, “Babe, y’gotta tell me, hows it look?”

 

Taka hummed and stood, not releasing Mondo’s hand from his own.  The area around the inking was red and irritated, but the insignia was immediately recognizable.  The circular star pattern of the Crazy Diamonds sat right above his shoulder blade, the creed extending down below it in neat lettering.  It looked almost exactly like the back of Mondo’s jacket yet somehow more elegant.

 

Mondo was paying tribute to his brother and everything they achieved together sure, but Taka realized it as more.  Mondo was remembering, building off of his past; his roots.

 

It was leaving the past behind while also remembering it.

 

“Wha- Do you hate it that much,” Mondo asked upon noticing the tears sliding down Taka’s face.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a big baby and will probably never get a tattoo, but if I did, I'd want the Meta Knight insignia on my left shoulder, and the Crazy Diamond's logo somewhere, maybe my thigh.
> 
> Come yell at me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord


	52. 6-9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: some nsfw elements! nothing explicit, just a warning

 

 

Mondo’s 24th birthday started like most of his mornings now did when he didn’t have to go in to work; with Charlie laying down by his feet, curled in on herself, and Taka snuggled into his side, breathing deeply in sleep.  Light softly filtered in through slats in the blinds and fell across the bed, illuminating dust motes in the air.

 

He’d slowly been working on Ishimaru to actually sleep in a little, and so far, it had paid off.  The other man had finally agreed that naturally waking up, that a quiet morning, was good every now and then, and God was Mondo thankful for that.  Not only did he actually get to sleep in on the weekends now, but he had the distinct pleasure of seeing Taka when he first woke up.  He got to see the way the other’s eyes were glazed and half-lidded with sleep, the way his hair stuck up like a rats’ nest, the hickies and bite marks that stretched down the white expanse of his neck and shoulders…

 

Heh, nice.

 

Over the past couple of days, his shoulder had healed substantially.  Kyo told him it would take a while to heal over completely, but it didn’t hurt as much anymore and the redness had gone down.  Taka had been lightly running his fingers over the design last night, tracing the way the ink curved under his skin.

 

Mondo closed his eyes and relaxed back into the bed, letting his mind wander to nothing in particular and simply enjoying the heat of Taka’s body next to his own.

 

Eventually though, the man next to him shifted.  Taka nuzzled his face into Mondo’s chest and took a deep, slow breath.  He stretched, arching his back with a loud series of pops before relaxing with a sigh and snuggling back into the other man.

 

“Mornin’ sleepin beauty.”

 

“Mngh…”

 

Mondo chuckled softly, the sound running through his chest.  He brought a hand up to run through Taka’s hair, trying to detangle it somewhat.  “How’re you feelin’?”

 

Taka hummed and pressed into the hand like a cat.  “Mn…sore.”

 

“Well who’s fault is that?”  Mondo grinned down at the other man, who leveled him with a weak, joking glare.

 

“Yours.”

 

Mondo fully laughed at that, his hand coming down to the side of Taka’s face.  “Yeah, I guess it is.”

 

“Alright,” Taka slowly sat up.  Mondo made a noise of discontent at the loss of warmth, but Charlie looked up as one of her daddies was now fully awake.  “I have something to do today.  Feel free to stay in bed as long as you want.”  He patted Charlie behind her ear, her tail whapping against Mondo’s foot.  “Is there anything in particular you’d want to do today?”

 

Mondo smirked, “If I told you I wanted lay in bed all day with you in my arms, would you actually do it?” 

 

He was surprised when Taka actually seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking his head.  “I’m sorry, I can’t.  I’ve been planning this for a month.”

 

The older man pouted, snuggling back into the bed.  He sighed, “Fine.”

 

Taka’s eyes softened and he leant back over to Mondo’s side of the bed, kissing his boyfriend gently on the cheek.  “Happy birthday, Mondo.”

 

He saw the glint in Mondo’s lavender eyes too late.  The larger man flipped them, essentially tackling Taka to the bed and pinning his hands above his head.  He gave a lopsided grin down at the man underneath him.  “Gotcha.  Can’t leave now, can you?”

 

Taka raised an eyebrow and started pushing back up against Mondo, managing to budge the other man a bit, but Mondo just bore down on him even more.  “Mondo, please, the thing I have to do is _for you_ ,” Taka huffed out.

 

“Mm…”  Mondo hummed lowly, “But I can think of lots of things you can do for me right here, right now.”  He lowered himself, head tucking into Taka’s neck and running his tongue over the marks he’d left there the night before.

 

Taka took a shuddery breath and let out a quiet whine, “Mondo…ngh…”  He’d stopped trying to push Mondo away by this point and was arching up into Mondo’s hands as they ran down his body and in-between his legs.

 

Mondo smiled into his skin as the smaller man let out an undignified groan.  “Happy birthday to _me._ ”

 

“Can we…hah…at least get Charlie some breakfast first?”  Said puppy barked in agreement, happily skittering from the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Taka hummed softly to himself as he turned the mixer up another notch, watching as the butter and eggs creamed together.

 

After they’d… _finished_ that morning, a few guys from the gang had come over with presents and plans to take the bikes for a spin.  Mondo had looked at Taka a little hesitantly, but Taka had practically shoved him out of the apartment.  It worked better with his plan if Mondo was out of the house anyway.

 

He didn’t have enough money to treat Mondo to a night out at a fancy place like the other man deserved, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to recreate that fancy atmosphere at home. 

 

He’d made a quick trip to the market after showering.  The day was sunny and full of promise, and the market likewise had been filled with the happy atmosphere that only early summer could bring.

 

The seafood stew was happily simmering away on the stove, and now he just had to work on the cake itself.  Charlie had been under his feet the entire time he’d been working on the stew, begging for scraps like they never fed her.  He, sympathetic nonetheless, had tossed her a few pieces of fish.

 

The apartment door clicked open and she was off, yipping and barking.  Taka chuckled and started mixing the dry ingredients in with the wet ones.

 

Warm arms wrapped around his waist and a weight settled on his shoulder, “Mm…smells good.”

 

He craned his head back to kiss Mondo’s cheek.  “Welcome back.  It’s seafood stew, I remember you saying something about growing up on it so I thought it would do for a birthday dinner.”

 

“Mm, yeah that smells nice too, but I was talkin’ bout you.”  Mondo nuzzled his nose into Taka’s neck, making the other try to stifle a laugh.  He could feel Mondo grin and Taka tensed. 

 

“Mondo! No!  I’m trying to bake your cake!”

 

“It’s too late baby, it’s comin’”

 

“No!”

 

Mondo’s hands started to creep up Taka’s sides

 

“Mondo, don’t you _dare_.”

 

Mondo’s grin widened against Taka’s neck as he swiftly brought his hands under the other’s armpits.  Taka immediately convulsed and tried to squirm away from Mondo.  “No-ho-o!!!”

 

Mondo only relented when Taka was in serious danger of smacking his head on one of the cabinets.

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the night went fairly quietly.  Taka had asked him how the day out with the guys had gone, and he’d had to…omit some parts for Taka’s own sanity.  Dinner was wonderful and Mondo silently thanked the years of experience Taka had gotten with Aoi.

 

When it had come to the cake though, Ishimaru had all but kicked him out of the kitchen, saying it was supposed to be a surprise, and no, he couldn’t “help” by licking the spoon.  Mondo had skulked off to go play with Charlie, which the small puppy was more than thrilled about.  She had opened up a lot since they had brought her into their lives, sleeping on squeaky toys and running after the pigeons they saw on their walks with her.

 

“And…Done!” Taka noted from the kitchen with a hint of flourish in his voice.

 

Mondo looked up from where he was nose to nose with Charlie.  “Does that mean I can finally come back?”

 

“Yes!”

 

With a groan more befitting a man twice his age, Mondo stood and shuffled towards the kitchen.  The lights in the kitchen had been dimmed, a soft glow coming from the candles in a small, but intricately decorated cake on the counter.  The cake itself was pink and blue with a heap of cotton candy on top.  Two little candles shaped into the number 24 were placed in the center of the cotton candy nest.  How the heat didn’t melt the fragile candy floss was anyone’s guess.

 

Mondo’s eyes widened upon registering that not only had Taka _made_ him a cake from _scratch_ , but he’d made Mondo a _cotton candy cake_.

 

He looked over at his boyfriend who was looking at him with the soft eyes Mondo loved so much.  “Happy Birthday, Mondo.”

 

“Babe, I know we already had sex today, but after we eat this thing, I’m taking you back to bed, because holy shit, you’re fucking perfect.”

 

Taka flushed a bright red, noticeable even in the low light, his voice just on the edge of screeching.  “J-just blow out your candles!”

 

“Oh, I’m gonna blow something alright.”  


“ _Mondo!_ ”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when I get out of theatre rehearsal, I write a lot.   
> If you're of age, you can go check out my nsfw fic "Take Me Apart"  
> Or if you want something a little tamer, I just started a gift fic called "Horns and Antlers" for IsTheMedia's monster au!
> 
> Also, FANART OF THE OFFICE WAIFU from the illustrious nazumi-anna on tumblr! https://natzumi-anna.tumblr.com/day/2019/03/19


	53. The Beach Episode

 

 

It was a beautiful summer day.  The sun was shining without a cloud to mar the pure cerulean sky and the humidity had decided to take a vacation; odd for the Japanese summer.  Despite that, it was still spectacularly hot. So hot in fact, that they had placed Charlie’s bed in front of one of the only fans they owned.  She was sprawled out, her legs up in the air and panting as if her life depended on it

 

Mondo knew exactly what he wanted to do with a day like this.

 

"Yo, Babe!”  He skidded into the bedroom where Taka was just finishing up folding the clothes he’d taken out of the dryer.  Both of them had taken to walking around without shirts on during the heatwave, and just when Mondo thought he was used to Taka’s bare skin glistening with sweat, Taka just _had_ to look like a fucking god again.  Was it normal to still get this hot under the metaphorical collar at the sight of your significant other after almost half a year of dating?

 

It was probably just him.

 

However, where he would normally run away from the other man like a coward with a raging erection, he sauntered up behind his boyfriend and slipped his arms around the other’s waist.  He was attempting to be suave, but cringed as their skin just slid against each other, both men dripping with sweat.  Taka seemed to feel similarly as he tensed at the contact and tried to get away.  Mondo let him go, the both of them suctioning apart with a gross-sounding _smack_.

 

It was pretty hard to appreciate your hot as fuck boyfriend when both of you felt gross.

 

"Eh…sorry,” Mondo tried, sheepishly.

 

Taka was still cringing, but managed a smile, finishing up the last shirt and closing the drawer.  He turned to give Mondo his full attention.  “It’s quite alright.  What is it Mondo?”

 

"Oh, yeah,” Mondo brightened, remembering what he had come in here for.  “I got an idea for somethin’ we could do today if you aren’t busy.”

 

Taka squinted, trying to understand what Mondo meant.  “What did you have in mind?”

 

* * *

 

 

One whirlwind packing expedition later and the two of them were straddled across Mondo’s bike on their way.  They couldn’t bring Charlie, but they’d made sure to leave the fan on and stick a few extra ice cubes in her water before they left.

 

Taka had readily agreed to Mondo’s suggestion.  The two of them could stand to get out of the house.  They’d both been pulling long hours at work.  It was construction season for Mondo and his sensei.  Mondo was throwing himself whole-heartedly into learning everything he could, and Taka couldn’t be prouder of him, even if he did come home somedays irritable and sunburnt.

 

Taka himself was working on programming a ‘bring your child to work day.  The irony of not having a child of his own wasn’t lost on him.  Maybe he could persuade his boss to let him bring Charlie.

 

The beach was pretty crowded when they got there and finding a parking space turned out to be a lot harder than either of them had originally planned for.  Eventually, Mondo decided to drop Taka off at the entrance to the beach before going to park the bike himself.  Which, Taka thought, was probably for the best as Mondo was likely to find somewhere not-entirely-legal.

 

Taka took the umbrella and the small cooler they’d packed with snacks, waved to Mondo as the other pulled away, and traipsed down to the beach.  He didn’t get far before someone started calling his name.

 

“Taka… _Taka…KIYOTAKA ISHIMARU!_ ”  He jumped, whirling around as the voice yelled right in his ear.  Aoi grinned at his flustered expression.  “Nice of you to come back to planet earth!”

 

“Ah, Hina!  Hello!  How are you?”

 

The brunette woman looked like she’d already jumped in the ocean several times.  Her hair, though tied back, was frazzled with saltwater.  Her coffee-colored skin had already darkened significantly in a tan.  It likely wasn’t her first time here this summer.

 

“I’m doin’ great ya dork!  Taking every opportunity, I can away from the bakery to train.  Pools are nice but there’s something about the unpredictability of the ocean y’know?”  She stretched her muscular arms above her head. “Plus I gotta work off all of those donuts I’ve been snagging.  Working in a bakery is hard but not in the way I thought.  My waistline doesn’t appreciate it.”

 

“If it’s worth anything, I think you look lovely.”

 

“Aw, Taka you flatterer,” she punched him in the shoulder.  “Too bad we’re already spoken for, though I admit you’re not really my type.”  She looked over his shoulder.  “Speakin’ of which, where’s the biker boy.”

 

“Ah, Mondo is parking.  He’ll be back shortly.”

 

She nodded in understanding before grabbing his hand and dragging him along the sand.  “Alright then, you guys can set up right next to us!

 

* * *

 

 

“Do you think they’re going to get tired anytime soon?”

 

Sakura smiled and set down the thermos of tea she’d brought.  “Knowing the two of them, probably not.”

 

Upon Mondo finally finding a “parking spot”, he didn’t elaborate on where such spot had been found when Taka asked, he and Aoi had raced to the ocean, both diving in like little kids.  Taka had stayed behind to set up the towels and was currently curled under two large umbrellas with Sakura, enjoying the sea breeze.

 

They’d both always enjoyed the other’s company.  Sakura had this calming presence about her.  It was motherly in a way, but also as sturdy as a mountain, which was something Taka appreciated.  They also both shared a lot of similar values in terms of familial honor and tradition.  He could talk for hours to Sakura and the other would just sit and listen patiently before offering advice from her seemingly endless well of wisdom.

 

They’d started off on the wrong foot when he’d mistakenly assumed she was a man, but he was glad they had managed to get past his embarrassing misstep.

 

They had shifted to talking about shrine rituals when Aoi and Mondo came back from the ocean, spraying water and sand all over the towels. 

 

“Heya you two!  Miss us?”  Aoi wrung out her hair on the sand.

 

Sakura’s eyes softened, “Yes, of course my darling.”

 

Aoi blushed and puffed her cheeks out.  “Sakuraaaaaa!  Not in front of the guys!”  Sakura hummed a laugh.

 

“So _anyways_ ,” Aoi said, clearly trying to steer the conversation in another direction.  “Mondo and I were talking about maybe playing a 2 v 2 volleyball game after lunch!  The beach has a net and everything.  Unless of course,” she cocked her eyebrows and lowered her lids in a challenge.  “You boys are too chicken to lose to a couple of girls.”

 

“It would be an honorable defeat to the two of you,” Taka was quick to assure her, “But a match of volleyball does sound fun.”

 

Sakura hummed in agreement.

 

“Alright, but lunch first,” Mondo insisted, rummaging through the cooler, “I know you packed some watermelon, Baby.”

 

Aoi leered sideways at Taka at the pet name, a smirk lighting up her face.  He merely shook his head, smiling, and turned to assist Mondo with the search through the cooler.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
> 
> You'll notice that WWCHB now has a chapter count! Meaning, that we're very close to the end of this fic! I say "this" fic because we're not done with the WWCHB storyline quite yet. I've been debating splitting the next couple of arcs up because it makes more sense to do so rather than just string them all together, so that is what is happening.  
> WWCHB is going to cover their first year together, and then the next fic will be a 2 year time jump.  
> Thank you all for sticking with me!
> 
> Come bother me @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord!


	54. The Beach Episode Part 2

 

 

“Alright boys! Ready to get your sorry asses beat into the sand?”

 

"Not if we beat you first!”

 

"Mondo, be nice.  We can just have a good, clean match!”

 

Mondo gritted his teeth and squinted against the sun reflecting off of the sand as he dug his heels in to the soft surface.  “Ain’t about bein’ nice!  This is a competition!  We have to defend our honor as men! To show our bond!”

 

Something sparkled in Taka’s eye and Mondo grinned at him sideways.  Taka nodded seriously in the way he did when accepting a challenge.  “I understand now.” He brought a hand up, which Mondo clasped and squeezed.  “We may be lovers, but we will always be kyoudais.”

 

Mondo flushed a red that had nothing to do with the sun.

 

“If you two are done being giant dorks, we’re ready to start!” Aoi called from the other side of the net. The two men nodded at each other and Mondo kissed Taka’s cheek before jogging to the back of the designated court.

 

It would be a 2v2 match with standard rules.  Taka and Aoi took the center court, being quicker and nimbler, and Mondo and Sakura took the back with their strength.

 

They let the girls serve first and Sakura surprisingly didn’t overshoot the court.  Mondo dashed to get the ball, kicking up sand.  Sakura had gone wide and he managed to get it by the tips of his fingers up to Taka who jumped and hit the ball over the net.  Aoi was ready though, and volleyed the ball back.  Taka’s next hit was a little too powerful and Aoi couldn’t jump in time.  Sakura managed to dash forward and get the ball over.

           

They continued on like that for a while.  Each team steadily gaining points, with the girls leading by a small margin.  Eventually, a small crowd began to form around the couples; cheering and clapping going up with every particularly good hit.

 

The men started showing signs of tiredness.  Mondo’s breaths came out in huffs and pants, and Taka’s speed was starting to lag.  They were fit, sure, but the two women were built for and trained in athleticism.  Of course, they’d have a stamina advantage. 

 

Match point, and Mondo’s muscles registered what was happening before his brain caught up.  Aoi had hit the ball at a low angle, and there was no way Taka was going to get there in time.  Mondo dove for it, but only succeeded in tackling Taka, who was running for the ball anyway, by the waist and knocking them both to the court in an explosion of sand.

 

The ball landed with a soft _pff_ right next to them and bounced slightly. 

 

Aoi cheered and jumped into Sakura’s arms, the taller woman swinging her around.  The crowd that had been watching them scattered into claps and cheers, congratulating the girls on the game.

 

Mondo pushed off of his boyfriend, before spitting into the sand, trying to get the grit out of his mouth.   Taka was sweaty underneath him, but smiling all the same.  His black hair had been dusted with sand, like someone had scattered stars in it, and his cheeks were flushed with exertion. 

 

He was beautiful.

 

Mondo stood and helped Taka up, some of the “fans” they’d had in the crowd patted them on the backs and told them it was still a great game. 

 

A group of giggling girls had tried coming over and flirting with Taka, giving them their numbers, but he’d politely declined and told them he was taken.  Mondo had puffed up proudly at that and draped himself over Taka from behind, pressing a sandy kiss into the man’s temple.  The girls hadn’t seemed put off but instead had enthusiastically told them what a cute couple they made.  He felt his heart soar at the acceptance.

 

"Well boys,” Aoi cocked her hip out and tossed the ball up into the air.  “Care to get beaten again?”

 

Taka glanced at Mondo before going up to her and extending a hand, which she took rather smugly.  “That was an excellent game Hina, but I think Mondo and I will decline a rematch.”

           

"Like hell we will!  One more match,” Mondo demanded from the back of the court.

 

Taka sighed and gave Aoi a withering look.  “He doesn’t know when to admit defeat.”

 

"Hey, neither did _you_ in high school if you remember,” Aoi pointed out with a grin.

 

"Yes, well,” Taka flushed and looked away.  “Another match it is!”  Mondo cheered behind him and Sakura gave him a surprised look but didn’t say anything.

 

* * *

 

 

A half hour of sweat and swearing, on Mondo’s part, later, they had fully been trounced in volleyball and only had exhaustion and acute dehydration to show for it. 

 

Fortunately for them, though, the sun had begun to set and the day started to cool down.  The couples returned to their towels and umbrellas and curled up to watch the pinks and oranges paint the sky.  Aoi snuggled into Sakura’s side while Mondo wrapped completely around Taka from behind, gently pressing kisses into his pale shoulders.

 

“Today was nice,” Aoi commented after a moment.  “I miss you guys sometimes, y’know?  All of our class, actually.”

 

“Even Togami,” Mondo asked, chuckling.

 

Aoi laughed too, a light sound.  “Yeah, even ol’ ass face himself.”  


Taka hummed, not one for bad-mouthing a past classmate but unable to argue with their crude assessment of their elitist classmate.  “Have you tried getting together with them?  Kyoko and Makoto have stayed pretty close.  Chihiro as well.”

 

Sakura smiled, the expression reaching to her eyes.  “Yes, we speak to Fujisaki-kun often.  He often comes in before work for our tea cakes.  The green tea ones are his favorite.”

 

“Always have been,” Mondo commented with an easy grin.

 

“And what about you guys?”  Aoi shifted to look at them.  “You’re both doing pretty well for yourselves.  Mondo, you’re working at that housing development in the suburbs, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Mondo leant forward and rested his chin on Taka’s shoulder.  “The days are long and m’always sore…but I can’t complain.  S’honest work, and it feels nice to actually be making shit y’know?”

 

Taka felt his heart swell at that, and shifted to give Mondo a quick, but firm, peck on the lips.  “And I’m so proud of you.” 

 

Mondo spluttered at that and buried his face into Taka’s neck.  “Y’say that all the _time_.”

 

“Yes, but I mean it!”

 

“But that shit’s embarrassing!”

 

“ _How?_ I’m just so proud of you, Mondo and what a wonderful man you are! I’m so lucky to be you…your _boyfriend!_ ”

 

“Shit, now you’re embarrassed aren’t’cha?”

 

“No! I just have a really handsome and strong and caring boyfriend, and I love him so much! That’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”  


“C’mere you!”  Mondo hugged Taka tighter to his chest and started to kiss up and down the other man’s neck and back.  Taka shrieked and tried to squirm away, laughing.

 

Aoi giggled and nuzzled into Sakura, watching the exchange between the two men.  “Those two haven’t changed at all.”

 

Sakura hummed in agreement.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next and final chapter will be uploaded on Saturday.  
> I'll see you all there :' )
> 
> come yell at me to start the sequel @GauntletKnight on tumblr or over on the discord


	55. One Year

 

 

Mondo had planned this for _months_.  He’d done everything in his power to make sure this wasn’t going to go like _literally every other date he had planned_.  No throwing burnt casseroles at the wall.  No asshole beating up his boyfriend for no reason.  (Even though both of those had ended in pretty amazing sex, now that he thought about it.)

 

No, tonight was going to go so well, they’d be talking about how good this fucking date was until they were old and gray.

 

He’d decided to have Taka’s birthday dinner at home.  Despite the other man’s lofty dreams, he was never one for fancy things.  He appreciated a classy get-together sure, but when it was just them, Mondo knew that he liked shedding that pretense of ‘strict moral compass’ for something more comfortable; something that was ‘just him.’  Mondo wouldn’t have him any other way.

 

Taka had work that day, but he didn’t; something about the developers wanting different roof tiles than the ones they ordered or something.  So when Taka had gotten up that morning and gently kissed him before leaving, he had waited for the front door to click shut before rising from bed and setting about completing what he had planned.

 

Charlie had given him a particularly affronted look when he got up, making the bed shift, but she’d only snuffled and snuggled back into Taka’s spot in bed, still warm from his departure. 

 

She’d joined him later, everything forgiven, when the smell of curry wafted its way through the apartment, wagging her tail happily.  “Oh, so _now_ you want to help, huh,” Mondo asked her, teasingly.  “Won’t get up with Daddy to go the grocery store, but the _minute_ pork is on the menu…”  Her tail wagged faster the longer he talked to her.  Mondo chuckled and reached down to pat her head.  “Yeah, ok.  Let it cook first.”  She yipped happily and padded away, her premium pork dinner now secure.

 

He raised an eyebrow in amusement and shook his head, turning back to the simmering pot on the stove.  He brought the spoon to his lips and hummed.  Yeah it was spicy…but was it _spicy enough for Taka_ spicy?  He swore he saw the other man eat a habanero in one bite and be disappointed. 

 

Mondo shrugged and put the spoon back in the pot.  Eh, if Taka wanted, he could probably add more.  Mondo loved his boyfriend, but he wasn’t about to sear his taste buds off on curry he made.

 

* * *

  

Ishimaru had had a relatively wonderful birthday so far.  Yuko had come into his office at lunch with a small cake she had baked and a new planner to replace his old one.  His secretary had been especially nice, and even Tadamori-san had seemed less irritable than usual. 

 

It felt a bit odd, not preparing to go back to school for his birthday, but he had to remind himself that he was in a different place than he once was.  A distinctly happier place if he was honest with himself.  He was in a wonderful relationship with his best friend and soulmate, and had an adorable dog, a steady job, and a roof over his head.  He even had spending money for the first time in his life!

 

It was with high spirits and a renewed determination that he biked home that night.  Maybe he’d even make some curry to celebrate.  He opened the door to the apartment only to smell that someone had already beat him to the punch.

 

Charlie was the first to make it to the door, as she always was.  She ran to him excitedly and jumped onto his leg, wagging her tail enthusiastically.  She had a small piece of pork clenched in her mouth that she didn’t even let go of when he bent down and ran his hands through her fur.

 

“Happy birthday, Baby.”

 

Mondo’s voice was warm, and as Taka looked up at the man he loved, he found the other’s eyes mirroring the loving quality of his voice.  Taka felt his eyes soften around the edges and stood, striding over to Mondo.  “Thank you…my love.”

 

Mondo’s face immediately reddened and he pulled Taka closer, burying his face in the shorter man’s shoulder.  “Damn it…I was s’poseta fluster ya, not tha otha way ‘round.”

 

Taka hummed good-naturedly and turned his head to kiss Mondo’s neck, just below the ear.  “I told you I’d find a name for you.  I thought of it a while ago…but I was waiting for the right moment.  Now felt like that moment.”

 

Mondo grumbled and shoved his face further into Taka’s shoulder, nearly knocking the other man off his feet.  Taka laughed at that and threw his arms around Mondo’s shoulders, nuzzling into the other man’s neck in turn.  Mondo’s arms made their way around Taka’s lower back and he hummed, some of the embarrassment wearing off.

 

They stayed like that for a while, frozen in time; each embracing the other with all the tenderness of new lovers who weren’t new at all.

 

“Y’smell good…”  Mondo mumbled into Taka’s skin.

 

He didn’t see the face Taka made.  “I shouldn’t…I biked today.  I’m all sweaty.”

 

“S’nice,” Mondo admitted like it was the most natural thing in the world.  “Smells like you.”

 

“You’re an odd man, Mondo Oowada.”  There was no bite behind Taka’s words and Mondo chuckled into his neck, kissing the skin once more before pulling back.

 

“Eh, but I’m yours.”

 

Taka’s lips pulled up into a soft smile.  “I suppose.”

 

Mondo grinned at him.

 

“I would like to shower before we eat though, I feel disgusting.”

 

Mondo’s smile changed to a sly one.  “Want me to join ya?”

 

"Absolutely not,” Taka leveled him with a look.  “We’d never get to eat the dinner you’ve taken the time to prepare and I won’t have your hard work wasted!”

 

Mondo was about to point out that he didn’t particularly care either way, but Taka leant up and pecked him on the cheek.  “Later,” he whispered into Mondo’s ear, the word sounding like a promise, before pulling away and making his way to the bathroom.

 

Mondo could feel the heat on his face again.  Damn he was 0 for 2.

 

* * *

 

 

Taka got out of the shower in record time, which was saying something for him, and they proceeded to eat dinner.

 

As Mondo had thought, Taka had taken the side bowl of pepper flakes Mondo had supplied and dumped the entire contents onto the curry.  Honestly, it was a wonder the man could taste _anything_ anymore.

 

"Mm…Mondo this is delicious,” he praised after the first bite.  “You made this yourself?”

 

“Uh, yeah?  I can cook some things y’know.”

 

Taka made a weird face like he was biting back a smile.  “Ah I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what to think after the-“

 

 _"Don’t_.”

 

“-‘riceball casserole’ incident.”

 

Mondo gave him a flat look, and Taka just calmly kept eating his curry.  Though, his eyes betrayed the mirth he’d tried to bury.

 

Curry eaten and present opened – Mondo had gotten him a lapel pin that matched the medal he had worn in high school – the two men lounged on the couch.  Mondo had stretched out and Taka was curled up on top of him, his head resting on one of Mondo’s pecs.  They talked about small things; what to get for groceries, what happened in work, interesting stories they had seen in the news, and Taka was struck with how domestic it all was.

 

It was almost a year now that he had moved in with Mondo, tears rushing down his face and feeling like a failure.  And now?  Now he was happier than he could ever remember being in his life.  He wouldn’t trade this feeling swelling in his chest for the world, not even for the chance to be prime minister, and as Mondo’s hand ran through his hair again, he turned his head with it.

 

"Mm,” Mondo hummed, the sound travelling through his chest.  “What is it, Baby?”

 

“I just,” he could feel the tears leaking down his face, but he made no moves to wipe them away.  “I love you so much, Mondo.

 

Mondo’s hand curled in behind Taka’s head and he pulled the smaller man in for a small, but loving kiss.  “I love you too Kiyotaka.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not crying, you're crying.
> 
> Alright I've got some people to thank:
> 
> Helena. You were my first piece of fan art. The night I saw it I started crying because it was the first time it hit me that people were actually reading my fic, and your art is GORGEOUS. You're one of the sweetest people I know and I hope you never ever lose that or doubt your talent.
> 
> Richie. If it wasn't for your suggestion, I wouldn't have started the discord. It just wouldn't exist. All the support, the laughs, the comfort, the family...it wouldn't exist. Thank you.
> 
> Medi. You've been such a wonderful support throughout this. We've inspired each other and your aus own all of my love. You've been my person to bounce ideas off of, that inspired me to start other series, and I'm so grateful to know you.
> 
> The discord. All of you are my kiddos and the support and love I've received from all of you has made me tear up on multiple occasions. You've made me laugh when I wanted to cry. I've gotten a family in all of you...and I am so, so honored to know all of you.
> 
> Everyone that has read this. Thank you for hanging on for the journey. This is the longest thing I've ever written and when I started I wasn't sure I was going to finish it. Yet here we are...55 chapters later...
> 
> BUT DON'T FORGET! WE'RE NOT DONE YET!  
> There is going to be a brief hiatus, and then a sequel. In total, the wwchb series is going to be a trilogy, not counting the extras (which will still be added to). I hope to see you all there!
> 
> All my love  
> -Gauntlet

**Author's Note:**

> First multi-chapter fic in a long ass time. I pray I finish it. Comments welcome!


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